What does fearfully mean?
Fearfully is an adverb with two related uses. Its most common modern role is as an intensifier, meaning 'very' or 'to an extreme degree', as in 'it was fearfully cold' or 'a fearfully expensive mistake' — a use particularly associated with British English. Its older and more literal sense means 'in a way that expresses or inspires fear, dread, or awe', as when someone watches a storm fearfully. The word descends from 'fearful', itself rooted in the Old English noun 'fear'. Like its companions 'terribly', 'awfully', and 'dreadfully', it illustrates a curious habit of English: words once tied to genuine emotion gradually losing that force until they serve only as emphatic boosters. It survives most memorably in the phrase 'fearfully and wonderfully made' from Psalm 139, where it conveys reverent wonder rather than terror. For writers, it adds intensity and a slightly formal, literary flavour.
adverbIn a way that inspires or expresses fear, dread, or awe. Also, especially in British usage, to an extreme degree — very, extremely (e.g. 'fearfully cold').
- As an intensifier meaning 'very, extremely': 'It was fearfully hot today.'
- In a manner expressing or inspiring fear, dread, or apprehension: 'He looked at her fearfully.'
"She was fearfully anxious about the results."
"The refugees waited fearfully for news of their families."
"The exam was fearfully difficult."
"Fearfully and wonderfully made" — this adverb appears in one of the most quoted lines of the Bible, Psalm 139:14, where it describes not terror but the astonishing intricacy of the human body.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of fearfully
Fearfully is formed from 'fearful' plus the adverbial suffix '-ly', and 'fearful' comes from the Old English noun 'fear' (fǣr), meaning danger or sudden peril. The compound has been in English since Middle English times, with the intensifying sense developing alongside the literal one. It shares its Germanic root with words such as 'fearsome' and 'fearless', and is unrelated to Latin-derived terms like 'terrify'.
Related word forms
How fearfully is actually used
The intensifying sense ('fearfully expensive') is notably common in British English but less so in American English, where 'really' or 'incredibly' is more typical. In both traditions it belongs to the family of old-fashioned intensifier adverbs ('terribly', 'awfully', 'dreadfully') whose literal meanings have been bleached into mere emphasis; using it in its literal fearful sense is now rarer.
Easily confused with fearfully
'Frightfully' derives from fright (sudden alarm) and is chiefly used as a British intensifier meaning 'very', while 'fearfully' relates more to dread or awe and can carry that emotional weight as well as the intensifier role.