How to Use fearful in a Sentence

fearful

adjective
  • He plays the role of a timid and fearful clerk.
  • They won the war but at a fearful cost.
  • While the word ‘cut’ may be scary for some, there’s no need to be fearful.
    — Danielle Wright, Essence, 15 Dec. 2022
  • The sudden attacks at the hands of a stranger left Squires and Feldt fearful.
    — Tess Williams, Anchorage Daily News, 19 Feb. 2022
  • Since the Nixon era, Democrats have been fearful of being on the wrong side of the crime issue.
    — Walter Shapiro, The New Republic, 13 Oct. 2022
  • Some fearful of damage to their boats opted to ride out the surge in the open sea.
    — Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2022
  • Not too many teams are fearful of grabbing the opt outs.
    — Barry Wilner, Star Tribune, 28 Apr. 2021
  • There's a part of her that's, like, fearful and thinks this could be real.
    — Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 11 Apr. 2022
  • The mood is bleak and many are fearful the Taliban will march on Kabul once more.
    — Ian Pannell, ABC News, 8 May 2021
  • Her mother, fearful of the danger, begged her not to go.
    — Diana Reese, Washington Post, 13 Oct. 2022
  • Since then, he's been sad, he's been angry and he's been fearful.
    — Shimon Prokupecz, CNN, 6 Sep. 2022
  • Liz, his wife, is much more fearful of Still’s future years in terms of his health.
    — Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 5 Feb. 2025
  • Rather than be fearful, invest in some fix-to-float bonds.
    — Marilyn Cohen, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2021
  • When startled or fearful, your cat might freeze in place and hunker low to the ground.
    — Joan Morris, The Mercury News, 8 July 2024
  • Thousands of migrants have drowned at sea, and the surfers had to win over parents fearful of the ocean’s swells.
    — Imane Djamil, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 May 2021
  • The upside cannot be seen with fearful emotions clouding the view.
    — Mike Gould, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2023
  • She was asked to shoot the scene over and over but, fearful of upsetting her, no one told her why.
    — K.j. Yossman, Variety, 11 Sep. 2024
  • Grieving for what’s already been lost, and fearful of the losses to come.
    — Katharine Wilkinson, Time, 3 Nov. 2021
  • Many are fearful that the top star will be on the outside looking in of WWE’s deal with Saudi.
    — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 11 Jan. 2023
  • Many investors remain fearful that the worst isn’t yet over for stocks this year.
    — Gunjan Banerji, WSJ, 2 Sep. 2022
  • In the later stages of the disease, deer become starved, weak and less fearful of humans.
    — Sophie Hartley, Scientific American, 10 Jan. 2025
  • Kidik called it a rushed process that left her fearful for her safety and the safety of her daughters.
    — Taylor Hartz, Hartford Courant, 27 Jan. 2023
  • Some are parents fearful for their own kids, or, like Schmutte, say they are called by God to do this work.
    — Jessica Contrera, Anchorage Daily News, 23 Sep. 2022
  • Once fearful of running into trouble with the law, Pelagea is now the first to take up the workers’ flag.
    — Charles McNultytheater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2023
  • Sawant said being fearful of lawsuits is not the way to effect progress or change.
    — Deepa Bharath, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2023
  • But investors are fearful that there are more dominoes to fall.
    — Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN, 11 May 2023
  • While Mayim wasn't afraid to open up about her colonoscopy, many do see the procedure as one to be fearful about.
    — Adrianna Freedman, Good Housekeeping, 23 Aug. 2023
  • With everyone fearful of the virus and the future, momentum slowed to a crawl.
    — Emily Yahr, Washington Post, 19 Dec. 2023
  • The victim became fearful when Battle drove up to an apartment building and said ICE would be waiting for them there, the complaint said.
    — Dylan Gentile, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2025
  • Demonstrators turned out in large numbers after the election, but the brutal government backlash has made most Venezuelans fearful of speaking out.
    — Genevieve Glatsky, New York Times, 7 May 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fearful.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: