Synonyms: Fear

Embark on a journey through a maze of words that capture the spine-tingling sensation of fear, offering a glimpse into the shadows where phantoms lurk and goosebumps rise.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. agitation
    a mental state of extreme emotional disturbance
    He turned to me and said in some agitation, “They are refusing to give me my letter.” Long Walk to Freedom
  2. alarm
    fear resulting from the awareness of danger
    In the old days the springs sometimes ran low and no one worried, but now everything seemed to cause alarm. Island of the Blue Dolphins
  3. angst
    an acute but unspecific feeling of anxiety
    I tried my best to block out the angst—the kids at school, my dad in the hospital—and focus on my studies. How Dare the Sun Rise
  4. anxiety
    a vague unpleasant emotion in anticipation of a misfortune
    Once out of North Hampden I walked slowly, extremely puzzled, an undertow of anxiety tugging at my thoughts. The Secret History
  5. apprehend
    anticipate with dread or anxiety
    That Thursday, Mayor Clarkson placed a notice in the newspapers saying there was “great reason to apprehend that a dangerous infectious disorder” was loose in the city. An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793
  6. apprehension
    fearful expectation or anticipation
    I headed the car through the red-brick campus gateposts with a sense of cold apprehension. Invisible Man
  7. consternation
    sudden shock or dismay that causes confusion
    The picture hung in a heavy gold frame, and to the consternation of all children its eyes followed a child about the room. East of Eden
  8. cower
    show submission or fear
    Each man the image of every other; then all are happy, for there are no mountains to make them cower, to judge themselves against. Fahrenheit 451
  9. creep
    show submission or fear
    See the judges of Massachusetts bend beneath that chain; see them bow down, one by one, and kneel, and creep, and cringe, and crouch, and crawl, under the chain!Speeches, Addresses, and Occasional Sermons
  10. cringe
    show submission or fear
    I cringe as a raspy voice asks, “What you want?” Dragons in a Bag
  11. dismay
    fear resulting from the awareness of danger
    The story of the escape and their own account of the fight in the woods did much to alleviate Fletcher’s dismay. The Underground Railroad: A Novel
  12. disquiet
    a feeling of mild anxiety about possible developments
    I pushed on, filled with mild disquiet, feeling like someone swimming too far from shore. A Walk in the Woods
  13. disquietude
    feelings of anxiety that make you tense and irritable
    Eventually I spoke of my lingering disquietude to Kiev Schoening, whose home was not far from mine. Into Thin Air
  14. distress
    psychological suffering
    Even the senses underwent a change so profound it filled me with distress. Black Like Me
  15. dread
    fearful expectation or anticipation
    Dread began to gather in the corners of Kate’s mind, and out of dread came panic. East of Eden
  16. flinch
    draw back, as with fear or pain
    But even at this faint reminder of her presence Gollum scowled and flinched. The Two Towers
  17. foreboding
    a feeling of evil to come
    Yet as the dusk deepened and darkness seeped into the hollows between the trees, Jon's sense of foreboding grew. A Clash of Kings
  18. funk
    draw back, as with fear or pain
    But it suddenly came into his head "If you funk this, you'll funk every battle all your life. Now or never." The Horse and His Boy
  19. horror
    intense and profound fear
    In the silence and the stillness, horror rose inside him. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
  20. inquietude
    a feeling of anxiety, uneasiness, or restlessness
    DeLaunay showed other signs of inquietude and was now pacing the rug nervously. Gibbs, George
  21. misgiving
    uneasiness about the fitness of an action
    But, despite his misgivings, he said he would not stand in my way. Long Walk to Freedom
  22. panic
    an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety
    I delve through the postcards—I don’t know why or what I’m looking for, I’m just trying to keep panic at bay. The Girl on the Train
  23. perturbation
    an unhappy and worried mental state
    Endeavouring by kind looks and gestures to soothe their perturbation, Captain Clark held up a burning glass to catch a stray sunbeam with which to light his pipe. Lyman, William Denison
  24. phobia
    an anxiety disorder characterized by irrational fear
    This frightened me, but apparently it's my own private phobia. Me Talk Pretty One Day
  25. quail
    draw back, as with fear or pain
    And now at last, brave girl though she was, her heart quailed. The Horse and His Boy
  26. qualm
    uneasiness about the fitness of an action
    Kit shook off her qualms and set her own face towards home and another dull evening. The Witch of Blackbird Pond
  27. recoil
    draw back, as with fear or pain
    When she sees his number appear, she recoils, as if she’s just seen a poisonous creature. A Heart in a Body in the World
  28. scruple
    uneasiness about the fitness of an action
    In manner he was cold and imperious, and he was without scruple in the furtherance of his ambitions. A Short History of Nearly Everything
  29. shrink
    draw back, as with fear or pain
    I shrank back against the seat, my heart beating quickly, knowing why the faces were at the window, and why the child stared. Rebecca
  30. terror
    an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety
    Thomas felt an icy terror blossom in his chest, expand like a tumor, making it hard to breathe. The Maze Runner
  31. timidity
    fear of the unknown or fear of making decisions
    “Where are you taking me?” he asked in a voice soft with timidity and guilt, his gaze still averted. Catch-22
  32. tremble
    a reflex motion caused by cold or fear or excitement
    “Only if you want to, of course,” Linda had said, and even though she had been turned away from Joaquin at the time, he could still hear the tremble in her voice. Far from the Tree
  33. trepidation
    a feeling of alarm or dread
    The young mouse approached the sparrow with trepidation, not wanting to antagonize the moody, dangerous bird. Redwall
  34. unrest
    a feeling of restless agitation
    He tried not to look in Burdow’s direction, but time and again his eyes went back, even at the cost of a great unrest inside him. Across Five Aprils
  35. wince
    draw back, as with fear or pain
    We wince, our eyes become tense, our hands are ready to vault over the side of the lorry into the ditch by the road. All Quiet on the Western Front: A Novel
  36. worry
    a strong feeling of anxiety
    “And the worry is that they’re going to try to up their game again in Paris.” City Spies
Created on Mon Apr 15 13:57:06 EDT 2024 (updated Fri Feb 07 11:38:33 EST 2025)

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