这些形容词均含“害怕的、可怕的”之意。
afraid ：指由于胆小或怯懦而不敢说或做某事。
- I started to feel afraid of going out alone at night.
我开始害怕夜间单独外出了。
fearful ：普通用词，既指外界情况变化而引起的恐惧，又指来自内心的害怕与焦虑。
- Parents are ever fearful for their children.
父母总是为子女担忧。 - She was fearful that she would fail.
她生怕失败。
awful ：指威严得令人害怕或敬畏，有一定的感情色彩。
- the awful horrors of war
骇人听闻的战争恐怖
dreadful ：指使人非常恐惧，毛骨悚然，也使人感到讨厌而退缩。
- a dreadful accident
可怕的事故 - They suffered dreadful injuries.
他们严重受伤。
frightful ：指使人陷入短暂的惊恐或产生毛骨悚然的感觉。
- My father was unable to talk about the war, it was so frightful.
我父亲没法谈论那场战争，那太可怕了。
terrible ：侧重指给人以长久的惊骇，极端的恐怖，令人难以忍受。
- a terrible experience
令人极不愉快的经历 - I’ve just had a terrible thought.
我刚刚产生了一个可怕的想法。
horrible ：指因骇人听闻的丑恶而令人毛骨悚然，着重厌恶的成分多于害怕。
- Still the horrible shrieking came out of his mouth.
他的嘴里还是发出了恐怖的尖叫声。
terrific ：多指外表、形状或力量等的可怕。
- I’ve got a terrific amount of work to do.
我有大量的工作要做。 - We drove along at a terrific speed.
我们以极快的速度驱车行驶。
appalling ：指既令害怕又使人惊异、胆寒。
- They have been living under the most appalling conditions for two months.
他们在最骇人听闻的条件下生活了两个月。
#词汇辨析