afraid 
/əˈfreɪd/ adjective
not used before a noun /əˈfreɪd/ adjective 1 [more afraid; most afraid] : feeling fear: such as a : worried that something will cause pain or injury
▪ Don't be afraid [=frightened, scared]—the dog won't hurt you. — often + of ▪ I don't like tall buildings because I'm afraid of heights. [=of being high up in the air] ▪ He's afraid of snakes. ▪ All the kids at school were afraid of him.
b : nervous about doing something — often + of ▪ She's afraid of failing/failure. ▪ He wasn't afraid of saying what he thought. ▪ Don't be afraid of [=don't worry about] what everyone else thinks. — often followed by to + verb ▪ He wasn't afraid to say what he thought. ▪ I wanted to visit her, but I was afraid to ask. ▪ Don't be afraid to take risks.
c : nervous or worried that something might happen
▪ She's afraid (that) she might fail. ▪ We were all afraid (that) she wouldn't live. ▪ I'm afraid (that) everyone will laugh at me. ▪ I was afraid (that) you would say “no.” 2 — used in the phrase I'm afraid as a polite way of showing that you are sorry about a disappointing, negative, or critical statement ▪ I'm sorry, but I'm afraid (that) I won't be able to come to your party. ▪ She tries hard, but I'm afraid that her work just isn't very good. ▪ I'm afraid that I still don't understand the problem. ▪ This is only the beginning of the battle, I'm afraid. ▪ Most of us worked very hard, but she, I'm afraid to say [=I'm sorry to say; I regret to say], did no work at all. ▪ “Is it raining?” “I'm afraid so.” = “I'm afraid it is.” [=yes, it is] ▪ “Can you come to our party?” “I'm afraid not.” = “I'm afraid I can't.” [=no, I can't come] 3 — used with not to say that someone is willing to do something — often + of ▪ She's not afraid of hard work. = She's not afraid of working hard. [=she's willing to work hard; she works hard] ▪ You can't be afraid of getting dirty in this job. [=you have to be willing to get dirty in this job] — often followed by to + verb ▪ She's not afraid to work hard. ▪ He's not afraid to admit his mistakes.
▪ Don't be afraid [=frightened, scared]—the dog won't hurt you. — often + of ▪ I don't like tall buildings because I'm afraid of heights. [=of being high up in the air] ▪ He's afraid of snakes. ▪ All the kids at school were afraid of him.
b : nervous about doing something — often + of ▪ She's afraid of failing/failure. ▪ He wasn't afraid of saying what he thought. ▪ Don't be afraid of [=don't worry about] what everyone else thinks. — often followed by to + verb ▪ He wasn't afraid to say what he thought. ▪ I wanted to visit her, but I was afraid to ask. ▪ Don't be afraid to take risks.
c : nervous or worried that something might happen
▪ She's afraid (that) she might fail. ▪ We were all afraid (that) she wouldn't live. ▪ I'm afraid (that) everyone will laugh at me. ▪ I was afraid (that) you would say “no.”
afraid for
: feeling fear or worry about (something or someone)
▪ I'm afraid for the children. ▪ They were afraid for their lives. [=they feared for their lives; they were afraid that they might die] ▪ He's afraid for his job. [=he's worried that he might lose his job]
▪ I'm afraid for the children. ▪ They were afraid for their lives. [=they feared for their lives; they were afraid that they might die] ▪ He's afraid for his job. [=he's worried that he might lose his job]
