as in worried
to experience concern or anxiety
her friends feared that she was dating a guy who was all wrong for her
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Recent Examples of feared
Back then, America feared an armada of Soviet bombers laden with A-bombs barreling over the horizon, dodging our few anti-aircraft batteries, and dropping their deadly payloads on undefended American cities.
—
Barry Scott Zellen, Hartford Courant, 22 Jan. 2026
Contrary to what many fans feared, Chiefs coach Andy Reid won’t be bringing back his entire staff from this season.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 22 Jan. 2026
The stunning claim came just a couple of hours after Trump left no room for anything less than a takeover of Greenland, fanning the flames of discord that allies feared could lead to the collapse of the Western alliance.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 21 Jan. 2026
Diosdado Cabello Diosdado Cabello, Venezuela’s Interior Minister, is one of the most powerful and feared figures in the country’s ruling elite, known for his hardline ideology and deep influence over the country’s security apparatus.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for feared
Barry Scott Zellen, Hartford Courant, 22 Jan. 2026
Contrary to what many fans feared, Chiefs coach Andy Reid won’t be bringing back his entire staff from this season.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 22 Jan. 2026
The stunning claim came just a couple of hours after Trump left no room for anything less than a takeover of Greenland, fanning the flames of discord that allies feared could lead to the collapse of the Western alliance.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 21 Jan. 2026
Diosdado Cabello Diosdado Cabello, Venezuela’s Interior Minister, is one of the most powerful and feared figures in the country’s ruling elite, known for his hardline ideology and deep influence over the country’s security apparatus.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for feared
Recent Examples of Synonyms for feared
worried
Verb
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Apple reports record iPhone sales Apple reported its best-ever iPhone sales — due largely to growth in China — but its shares stayed flat as investors worried about rising costs.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
30 Jan. 2026
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The committee is already split between those worried about persistent inflation, who’d like to keep rates unchanged, and those who think that recent upticks in unemployment point to a stumbling economy that needs lower interest rates to bolster hiring.—
Christopher Rugaber,
Fortune,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Feared.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/feared. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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