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Afraid vs Curious - What's the difference?

afraid | curious |

As adjectives the difference between afraid and curious

is that afraid is impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear while curious is fastidious, particular; demanding a high standard of excellence, difficult to satisfy.

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 ----

    curious

    English

    Adjective

    (en-adj)
  • (lb) Fastidious, particular; demanding a high standard of excellence, difficult to satisfy.
  • *1612 , , Proceedings of the English Colonie in Virginia , in Kupperman 1988, p.172:
  • *:But departing thence, when we found no houses, we were not curious in any weather, to lie 3 or 4 nights together upon any shore under the trees by a good fire.
  • *(Thomas Fuller) (1606-1661)
  • *:little curious in her clothes
  • Inquisitive; tending to ask questions, investigate, or explore.
  • :
  • Prompted by curiosity.
  • *1590 , (Edmund Spenser), (The Faerie Queene) , III.ix:
  • *:But he to shift their curious request, / Gan causen, why she could not come in place.
  • Unusual; odd; out of the ordinary; bizarre.
  • :
  • *
  • *:Captain Edward Carlisle, soldier as he was, martinet as he was, felt a curious sensation of helplessness seize upon him as he met her steady gaze, her alluring smile?; he could not tell what this prisoner might do.
  • (lb) Exhibiting care or nicety; artfully constructed; elaborate; wrought with elegance or skill.
  • *(Bible), (w) xxxv.32
  • *:to devise curious works
  • *(William Shakespeare) (c.1564–1616)
  • *:his body couched in a curious bed