unafraid

unafraid — adjective

1. showing or feeling no fear, especially when facing something dangerous, difficul

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

showing or feeling no fear, especially when facing something dangerous, difficult, or unpleasant

Example

Jisoo was unafraid to point out the mistake in the report.

unafraid + to-infinitive

The young girl remained unafraid even as the big dog ran toward her.

Common collocations
  • unafraid to speak
  • unafraid to ask questions
  • unafraid of change
  • unafraid of failure
  • unafraid of the dark
Synonyms
  • fearless

    stronger and more active; suggests a natural absence of fear rather than a conscious choice

  • brave

    emphasises choosing to act despite feeling fear; more common in everyday speech

  • bold

    adds a sense of confidence that may verge on daring or risk-taking

  • courageous

    more formal than unafraid; often implies moral strength in the face of danger or disapproval

Antonyms
  • afraid

    direct opposite; the base word to which un- is attached

  • scared

    more informal and emotional than afraid

  • fearful

    suggests a tendency to feel fear rather than a single moment of being scared

Grammar Patterns

unafraid + to-infinitive

unafraid + of + noun/gerund

Usage Note

Unlike many adjectives with the un- prefix, unafraid is rarely used directly before a noun. It sounds most natural in predicative position — after a verb such as be, seem, feel, or remain.

Common Mistakes

She is an unafraid girl.
She is a girl who is not afraid.' or 'She is unafraid.
unafraid is almost never used attributively (before a noun); use a predicative structure instead.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

These words all describe a lack of fear, but each brings a different shade of meaning. Fearless suggests that a person naturally does not feel fear at all — it is part of their character. Brave emphasises the active choice to face something frightening rather than run away. Bold adds confidence that may border on recklessness or risk-taking. Courageous is the most formal and often refers to moral strength in the face of disapproval or adversity. For example, a child may be unafraid of the dark (simply not scared), but a firefighter who runs into a burning building is brave or courageous.

fearless ↗brave ↗bold ↗courageous ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • remain unafraid
  • stand unafraid
  • feel unafraid

Adverbs

  • completely unafraid
  • seemingly unafraid
  • quite unafraid

Phrases

  • unafraid to say what you think

Prepositions

  • unafraid of

Etymology

Old FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Unafraid is formed by adding the prefix un- (meaning 'not') to afraid. The word afraid comes from Old French afrayer (to frighten, disturb), which entered Middle English as affrayen. The modern spelling settled in the 1500s.