1.1Causing or likely to cause people to be afraid; horrifying.
‘a fearful accident’
‘To the outside world, Chernobyl stands as a fearful accident and a catalogue of gross errors.’
‘It came to mind that Christians who encountered Paul would have found him shocking and fearful.’
‘Economists nevertheless refuse to be alarmed by fearful prognoses of deflation.’
‘The literature supports an Oedipal stage, but finds that a good superego is likely to come from a loving rather than a fearful relationship with a father.’
‘When we are faced by a fearful situation it is human nature to hide our emotions behind a brave front and to smile when inside we are crying.’
‘An Arab writer on the consequences of the Black Death for animals added another hideous dimension to our awareness of that fearful episode.’
‘It did not gain that influence by producing timid and fearful programmes.’
‘With fearful symmetry, ' terror ' has acquired a new meaning, too.’
‘We are grieving not just for the dead but also for all our own fearful futures - the threat of war, more suffering and more fanatical hatred.’
‘Bad experiences can lead to the development of fearful beliefs about the future - fears the past will be repeated if we act the same way again.’
‘There are no limits to our human ability to justify our fear for, in truth, the world is a fearful place.’
‘In spite of his fear he decides to accompany his master on this fearful adventure.’
‘So we are intended to be relieved of the fear that our dying need be a fearful experience.’
‘Call it by its real name and much of the fearful power of the thing is lost.’
‘Among the nations there are fearful wars and dreadful diseases.’