noun · neutral
fear
UK/fɪər/US/fɪr/FEAR
Band 5-6speakingtask2
an unpleasant feeling caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat
Examples
“Public fear about the disease spread quickly.”
“He overcame his fear of heights by gradual exposure.”
“Fear of failure stops some students from trying new things.”
Band 8 sentence
“Policy makers must address public fear with clear evidence and transparent communication.”
Collocations
- public fear
- fear of failure
- fearless attitude
Word family
fear noun/verbfearful adjectivefearless adjectivefearfully adverbfearlessness noun
Common mistakes
She is fearless of spiders.→She is fearless about spiders. / She is not afraid of spiders.
I have many fear about my future.→I have many fears about my future.
Say it for a higher band
5scared→6afraid→7+fear
Synonyms
afraid
terror
Easily confused
afraid
“She was afraid of flying.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In -ful / -less
Learn it with its set