fearful
1 adj If you are fearful of something, you are afraid of it.
FORMAL Bankers were fearful of a world banking crisis...
2 adj You use fearful to emphasize how serious or bad a situation is.
FORMAL, emphasis
(=dreadful)
...the fearful consequences which might flow from unilateral military moves.
3 adj Fearful is used to emphasize that something is very bad.
INFORMAL, OLD-FASHIONED, emphasis You gave me a fearful shock!