afraid /əˈfreɪd/ adjective Learner's definition of AFRAID
not used before a noun
1
[more afraid; most afraid] : feeling fear害怕；恐惧: such as
a : worried that something will cause pain or injury害怕（疼痛或受伤） —
often + of -
I don't like tall buildings because I'm afraid of heights. [=of being high up in the air]我不喜欢很高的楼，因为我恐高。
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He's afraid of snakes.他害怕蛇。
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All the kids at school were afraid of him.学校的所有孩子都怕他。
b : nervous about doing something害怕，畏惧（做某事） —
often + of -
She's afraid of failing/failure.她害怕失败。
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He wasn't afraid of saying what he thought.他不怕说出他的想法。
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Don't be afraid of [=don't worry about] what everyone else thinks.不要担心别人怎么想。
—
often followed by to + verb常接动词不定式 -
He wasn't afraid to say what he thought.他不怕说出他的想法。
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I wanted to visit her, but I was afraid to ask.我想去看望她，但我又不敢问。
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Don't be afraid to take risks.不要害怕冒险。
c : nervous or worried that something might happen担心，害怕（某事会发生） -
She's afraid (that) she might fail.她生怕自己会失败。
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We were all afraid (that) she wouldn't live.我们大家全都担心她会死去。
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I'm afraid (that) everyone will laugh at me.我担心大家会笑话我。
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I was afraid (that) you would say “no.”我担心你会说“不”。
2
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used in the phrase I'm afraid as a polite way of showing that you are sorry about a disappointing, negative, or critical statement我恐怕，不好意思（用作委婉说法，表达令人不快的、否定的或批评性话语） -
I'm sorry, but I'm afraid (that) I won't be able to come to your party.对不起，我恐怕不能参加你的聚会了。
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She tries hard, but I'm afraid that her work just isn't very good.她很努力，但我不得不说她的活儿干得还不是非常好。
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I'm afraid that I still don't understand the problem.不好意思，我还是搞不明白这个问题。
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This is only the beginning of the battle, I'm afraid.我担心这只是战争的开始。
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Most of us worked very hard, but she, I'm afraid to say [=I'm sorry to say; I regret to say], did no work at all.我们当中的绝大多数人工作都很努力，但我很遗憾地说，她什么都没干。
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“Is it raining?” “I'm afraid so.” = “I'm afraid it is.” [=yes, it is]“下雨了吗？”“恐怕是的。”
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“Can you come to our party?” “I'm afraid not.” = “I'm afraid I can't.” [=no, I can't come]“你能来参加我们的聚会吗？”“我恐怕来不了。”
3
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used with not to say that someone is willing to do something（与not连用）表示愿意做某事 —
often + of -
She's not afraid of hard work. = She's not afraid of working hard. [=she's willing to work hard; she works hard]她工作肯吃苦。
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You can't be afraid of getting dirty in this job. [=you have to be willing to get dirty in this job]你干这份工作就不能怕脏了。
—
often followed by to + verb常接动词不定式
afraid for
: feeling fear or worry about (something or someone)害怕；担心；焦虑 -
I'm afraid for the children.我很担心这几个孩子。
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They were afraid for their lives. [=they feared for their lives; they were afraid that they might die]他们担心自己的生命安全。
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He's afraid for his job. [=he's worried that he might lose his job]他担心会失去工作。