Inspiring fear or awe; exciting apprehension or terror; terrible; frightful; dreadful
experiencing or showing fear; "a fearful glance"; "fearful of criticism" timid by nature or revealing timidity; "timorous little mouse"; "in a timorous tone"; "cast fearful glances at the large dog" extremely distressing; "fearful slum conditions"; "a frightful mistake"; "suffered terrible thirst
If you are fearful of something, you are afraid of it. Bankers were fearful of a world banking crisis I had often been very fearful, very angry, and very isolated
causing fear or dread or terror; "the awful war"; "an awful risk"; "dire news"; "a career or vengeance so direful that London was shocked"; "the dread presence of the headmaster"; "polio is no longer the dreaded disease it once was"; "a dreadful storm"; "a fearful howling"; "horrendous explosions shook the city"; "a terrible curse"
emphasis Fearful is used to emphasize that something is very bad. You gave me a fearful shock!