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1. Lacking courage; ignobly timid and faint-hearted
   "fearful dogs, ye will not aid me then";
   - cowardly
    
2. Experiencing or showing fear
   "a fearful glance"; "fearful of criticism"
    
3. Causing fear, dread or terror
   "a fearful howling";
   - awful, dire, direful, dread, dreaded, dreadful, fearsome, frightening, horrendous, horrific, terrible
    
4. Extremely distressing
   "fearful slum conditions";
   - frightful
    
5. Timid by nature or revealing timidity
   "cast fearful glances at the large dog";
   - timorous, trepid

See also: afraid, alarming, bad, caitiff [archaic], chicken [informal], chickenhearted, chicken-livered, cowardice, cowardliness, craven, dastard, dastardly, faint, fainthearted, faint-hearted, 'fraid [non-standard], funky [informal], ignoble, lily-livered, poltroon, poor-spirited, pusillanimous, recreant [archaic], timid, unmanly, white-livered, yellow, yellow-bellied [informal]

Antonym: courageous

Encyclopedia: Fearful