Afraid Definition

ə-frād

adjective

Filled with fear; frightened.

Afraid of ghosts; afraid to die; afraid for his life.

American Heritage

Feeling fear; frightened; apprehensive.

I'm afraid I can't go.

Webster's New World

Having feelings of aversion or unwillingness in regard to something.

Not afraid of hard work; afraid to show emotion.

American Heritage

Filled with regret or concern. Used especially to soften an unpleasant statement.

I'm afraid you're wrong.

American Heritage

(usually used predicatively, not attributively) Impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear.

He is afraid of death.

He is afraid to die.

He is afraid that he will die.

Wiktionary

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

Origin of Afraid

From Middle English affrayed, affraied, past participle of afraien (“to affray”), from Anglo-Norman afrayer (“to terrify, disquiet, disturb”), from Old French effreer, esfreer (“to disturb, remove the peace from”), from es- (“ex-”) + freer (“to secure, secure the peace”), from Frankish *friþu (“security, peace”), from Proto-Germanic *friþuz (“peace”), from Proto-Germanic *frijōną (“to free; to love”), from Proto-Indo-European *prāy-, *prēy- (“to like, love”). Compare also afeard. More at free, friend.

From Wiktionary
Middle English affraied past participle of affraien to frighten from Old French esfraier, esfreer to disturb of Germanic origin prī- in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition