/ ˈfɪəfl; NAmE ˈfɪrfl/ adjective
1.
fearful (for sb) | fearful (of sth / of doing sth) | fearful (that) ... ( formal ) nervous and afraid :
Parents are ever fearful for their children.
fearful of an attack
She was fearful that she would fail.
2.
[ only before noun ] ( formal ) terrible and frightening
3.
( old-fashioned , informal ) extremely bad :
We made a fearful mess of the room.
► fear·ful·ly / -fəli; NAmE / adverb :
We watched fearfully.
fearfully (= extremely) expensive
► fear·ful·ness noun [ U ]