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Afraid vs Dismay - What's the difference?

afraid | dismay |

As an adjective afraid

is impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear.

As a noun dismay is

a sudden or complete loss of courage and firmness in the face of trouble or danger; overwhelming and disabling terror; a sinking of the spirits; consternation.

As a verb dismay is

to disable with alarm or apprehensions; to depress the spirits or courage of; to deprive of firmness and energy through fear; to daunt; to appall; to terrify.

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 ----

    dismay

    English

    Noun

    (-)
  • A sudden or complete loss of courage and firmness in the face of trouble or danger; overwhelming and disabling terror; a sinking of the spirits; consternation.
  • Condition fitted to dismay; ruin.

    • Verb

    (en verb)
  • To disable with alarm or apprehensions; to depress the spirits or courage of; to deprive of firmness and energy through fear; to daunt; to appall; to terrify.
  • * Bible, Josh. i. 9
    • Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed .
  • * Fairfax
    • What words be these? What fears do you dismay ?
  • To render lifeless; to subdue; to disquiet.
  • * Spenser
    • Do not dismay yourself for this.
  • To take dismay or fright; to be filled with dismay.
  • * 1592 , , III. iii. 1:
    • Dismay not, princes, at this accident,