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Afraid vs Aghast - What's the difference?

afraid | aghast |

As adjectives the difference between afraid and aghast

is that afraid is impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear while aghast is terrified; struck with amazement; showing signs of terror or horror.

afraid

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear.
    • He is afraid of death.
    He is afraid to die.
    He is afraid that he will die.
  • (colloquial) regretful, sorry
    • I am afraid I can not help you in this matter .

    Usage notes

    * (term) expresses a lesser degree of fear than (terrified) or (frightened). It is often followed by the preposition (term) and the object of fear, or by an infinitive, or by a dependent clause, as shown in the examples above.

    Synonyms

    * (Impressed with fear or apprehension) afeared, alarmed, anxious, apprehensive, fearful, timid, timorous * (Regretful) sorry * See also

    Derived terms

    * 'fraid * afraidness * I'm afraid not * I'm afraid so * unafraid

    See also

    * fear

    Statistics

    * 1000 English basic words ----

    aghast

    English

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Terrified; struck with amazement; showing signs of terror or horror.
  • * 1902 , The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle.
    • And while the revellers stood aghast at the fury of the man, one more wicked or, it may be, more drunken than the rest, cried out that they should put the hounds upon her.
  • * 1985 , Les Misérables , the song "Red and Black"
    • I am agog! I am aghast ! Is Marius in love at last?
  • * 2013 , Daniel Taylor, Rickie Lambert's debut goal gives England victory over Scotland'' (in ''The Guardian , 14 August 2013)[http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/aug/14/england-scotland-international-friendly]
    • Hart, for one, will not remember the night for Lambert's heroics. Morrison, not closed down quickly enough, struck his shot well but England's No1 will be aghast at the way it struck his gloves then skidded off his knees and into the net.

    Anagrams

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