fearing

VERB

feel alarm; be scared of

Synonyms

STRONGEST

anticipate avoid dread expect foresee shun suspect worry

STRONG

apprehend blanch cower crouch falter flinch fret quail quaver shrink shudder shy start tremble wilt

WEAK

be afraid be anxious be apprehensive be disquieted be frightened be in awe break out in a sweat dare not feel concern have butterflies have qualms lose courage

Antonyms

STRONGEST

face meet want

STRONG

calm steady stretch

WEAK

brave

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

fearing

At times, pilots have panicked, fearing they were running out of runway, and braked too hard, causing accidents.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

They express confidence in public while perhaps fearing in private that a worst-case scenario could make it hopeless to try to save everyone.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026

The challenge isn’t to choose between embracing AI blindly and fearing it reflexively.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

It says out-of-control AI will lead to the apocalypse, with the dire warning coming from an Anthropic researcher, Jacob Coxon, who quit the company fearing the tech arms race is moving too quickly.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

I whipped around, fearing the worst was about to unfold as I faced the secessionist acquaintances I’d made during our stay here.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan