fearful

adj

1. Frightening; causing fear.

   “Sirs, stop their mouths, let them not speak to me, But let them hear what fearful words I utter.”

   “In the later Hebrew midrash Lilith is presented as the woman who knows how to recite the fearful name of God to work calamity; that this little girl cries out the fearful name of the sun god and thereby causes an earthquake would indicate that this girl is linked in the structure of the myth with Lilith.”

2. Tending to fear; timid.

   “a fearful boy”

3. (dated)Terrible; shockingly bad.

   “But every day after dinner, for an hour, we were all together, and then the Favourite and the rest of the Royal Hareem competed who should most beguile the leisure of the Serene Haroun reposing from the cares of State — which were generally, as in most affairs of State, of an arithmetical character, the Commander of the Faithful being a fearful boggler at a sum.”

   “"What an awful infliction for you, Max. You were always such an impulsive, reckless sort of fellow—never quiet. You must miss such a fearful lot."”

4. (archaic)Frightened; filled with terror.

   “kings ſhall crouch vnto our conquering ſwords, And hoſtes of Souldiers ſtand amazd at vs, When with their fearfull tongues they ſhall confeſſe Theſe are the men that al the world admires,”

   “Those two great champions did attonce pursew / The fearefull damzell with incessant payns […]”

adv

1. (dialectal)Extremely; fearfully.

   ““He is fearful handsome, as you know,” she said remorsefully, “you cannot imagine, Georgiana, the joy when I first fell in love with him.””

   ““It's a fearful strong charm needs dragon's blood,” he said plaintively.”

   “His Dardanelles expedition gave the Turk a fearful long start.”