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Afeard

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

An archaic form of “afraid,” meaning frightened or fearful; it is especially familiar from Shakespeare and can lend an older poetic voice.

Detailed Definition
Afeard is an archaic or dialectal form of “afraid,” often heard in older ballads, rural speech, and dramatic verse. It can suggest not merely fear but a tremulous, bodily apprehension, as when a speaker faces darkness, divine judgment, or an approaching enemy. In poetry, its softened sound gives a line an old-fashioned musical quality and may place the speaker within a legendary, folkloric, or pastoral world. Example: “I am afeard the night remembers me.”
Example
Example in poetry:
“Be not afeard,” the captain tells the trembling crew; The knight stood afeard when the forest began to whisper; Though afeard of failure, the poet continued to write; “I am afeard,” she says, using an archaic form of “I am afraid.”
Additional Notes
Afeard is an archaic or dialectal form of “afraid,” often used in older poetry, folk songs, and dramatic speech. It usually describes emotional fear, as in “afeard of the dark.” Related words include frightened, fearful, afraid, and terrified. Its old-fashioned sound can create a rustic, historical, or storybook atmosphere.
Also Known As
Afraid Scared
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