Fear

 

–noun
1.
a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.
2.
a specific instance of or propensity for such a feeling: an abnormal fear of heights.
3.
concern or anxiety; solicitude: a fear for someone's safety.
4.
reverential awe, esp. toward god.
5.
that which causes a feeling of being afraid; that of which a person is afraid: Cancer is a common fear.
–verb (used with object)
6.
to regard with fear; be afraid of.
7.
to have reverential awe of.
8.
Archaic . to experience fear in (oneself).
–verb (used without object)
9.
to have fear; be afraid.
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Origin:
bef. 900; ME fere, OE fær sudden attack or danger; c. OS fār ambush, D gevaar, G Gefahr danger, ON fār disaster

—Related forms
self-fearing, adjective
un·fear·ing, adjective

—Synonyms
1. apprehension, consternation, dismay, terror, fright, panic, horror, trepidation. Fear, alarm, dread all imply a painful emotion experienced when one is confronted by threatening danger or evil. Alarm implies an agitation of the feelings caused by awakening to imminent danger; it names a feeling of fright or panic: He started up in alarm. Fear and dread usually refer more to a condition or state than to an event. Fear is often applied to an attitude toward something, which, when experienced, will cause the sensation of fright: fear of falling. Dread suggests anticipation of something, usually a particular event, which, when experienced, will be disagreeable rather than frightening: She lives in dread of losing her money. The same is often true of fear, when used in a negative statement: She has no fear she'll lose her money. 6. apprehend, dread.