feared

1 of 2

adjective

ˈfird How to pronounce feared (audio)
Synonyms of fearednext
: producing fear in others
feared enemies
the most feared teacher in school
: regarded with fear
trying to avert a feared outcome

feared

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of fear entry 2

Examples of feared in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, one of Iran’s most powerful and feared organizations, pledged full obedience to the new leader in a statement. — Josh Wingrove, Bloomberg, 8 Mar. 2026 One time while covering the political upheaval in Venezuela, my cameraman and I were detained for four hours in the hot sun by Venezuela’s feared secret police, the Sebin. — Patrick Oppmann, CNN Money, 5 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for feared

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

from past participle of fear entry 2

First Known Use

Adjective

1599, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of feared was in 1599

Rhymes for feared

See All Rhymes for feared

Browse Nearby Words

Fear, Cape
feared
fear for
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Feared.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/feared. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on feared

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for feared

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
skateboard-dog-hat
Wordmaxxing Slang Quiz Give your vocabulary a glow up by getting sendy w...
See All