Synonyms for fear

noun

Alarm occasioned by immediate danger
dread, fright, terror, horror, panic, alarm, consternation, dismay, awe, scare, abhorrence, revulsion, aversion, tremor, bodily fear, mortal terror, funk*, cold feet*, cold sweat*, chills*; see also sense 2.
Antonyms courage*, intrepidity, dash.
General apprehension
anxiety, trepidation, dread, timidity, cowardice, misgiving, trembling, uneasiness, fear and trembling, disquietude, perturbation, phobia, bugbear, irresolution, fearfulness, foreboding, despair, agitation, hesitation, nervousness, jumpiness, worry, concern, suspicion, doubt, qualm, presentiment, faintheartedness, timorousness, abject fear, the creeps*; see also sense 1; cowardice, nervousness 1.
Antonyms courage*, bravery, boldness.

fear is the general term for the anxiety and agitation felt at the presence of danger; dread refers to the fear or depression felt in anticipating something dangerous or disagreeable to live in dread of poverty; fright applies to a sudden, shocking, usually momentary fear the mouse gave her a fright; alarm implies the fright felt at the sudden realization of danger he felt alarm at the sight of the pistol; terror applies to an overwhelming, often paralyzing fear the terror of soldiers in combat; panic refers to a frantic, unreasoning fear, often one that spreads quickly and leads to irrational, aimless action the cry of ``fire!"" created a panic

for fear of

to avoid, lest, in order to prevent.

verb

To anticipate immediate danger
be afraid, be frightened, be alarmed, lose courage, falter, stand in awe of, be scared, stand aghast, live in terror, dare not, have qualms, cower, take fright, quaver, flinch, shrink, quail, quake, cringe, shudder, freeze, turn pale, blanch, start, tremble, shy, lose one's nerve, break out in a sweat*, get cold feet*, chicken out*, wimp out*.
Antonyms outface, withstand, dare.
To be apprehensive
apprehend, dread, fret; see worry 2.

See fear in American Heritage Dictionary 4 Synonyms

fear fright dread terror horror panic alarm dismay consternation trepidation

These nouns denote the agitation and anxiety caused by the presence or imminence of danger. Fear is the most general term: “Fear is the parent of cruelty” (J.A. Froude).
Fright is sudden, usually momentary, great fear: In my fright, I forgot to lock the door.
Dread is strong fear, especially of what one is powerless to avoid: His dread of strangers kept him from socializing.
Terror is intense, overpowering fear: “And now at the dead hour of the night, amid the dreadful silence of that old house, so strange a noise as this excited me to uncontrollable terror” (Edgar Allan Poe).
Horror is a combination of fear and aversion or repugnance: Murder arouses widespread horror.
Panic is sudden frantic fear, often groundless: The fire caused a panic among the horses.
Alarm is fright aroused by the first realization of danger: I watched with alarm as the sky darkened.
Dismay robs one of courage or the power to act effectively: The rumor of war caused universal dismay.
Consternation is often paralyzing, characterized by confusion and helplessness: Consternation gripped the city as the invaders approached.
Trepidation is dread characteristically marked by trembling or hesitancy: “They were … full of trepidation about things that were never likely to happen” (John Morley).

See fear in Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus II

noun

Great agitation and anxiety caused by the expectation or the realization of danger: