afeared
Afraid — scared, spooked, not eager to face something.
Also called afeard, afraid.
Updated September 21, 2026
afeared pronunciation
/uh-FEERD/
Meaning
Means afraid or frightened. Same feeling as the schoolbook word, just an older form that stuck in Southern, Midland, and Appalachian speech. You can be afeared of a storm, a snake, or walking into a dark barn alone.
How folks use it
- “I was afeared to go down that hollar after dark.”
- “Don't be afeared of the dog — he just looks mean.”
Origin and etymology
Comes from Old English āfǣred, the past participle of a verb meaning to frighten. Shakespeare used it plenty. Literary English mostly switched to afraid after about 1700, but afeared / afeard hung on in everyday talk. It is not a mangled form of afraid; the two words have different histories even though they mean the same thing now.
Frequently asked questions
Is afeared just a mispronunciation of afraid?
No. It is an older English word that kept living in dialect speech while "afraid" took over in books and schools.