Fearful means to be afraid of someone or something. They have grown more fearful about the year ahead. Fearsome means to cause fear in someone or something. A fearsome dog frightened the children.
Category: Confusing Words
Difference between Faze and Phase
Faze means to disrupt or disturb something. The economic slowdown did not faze their business in any way. Phase, as a verb, means to carry out or conduct something. As a noun, phase is a stage of development. Mike is going to phase in the new procedures gradually. The third phase of the building plan begins […]
Difference between Faun and Fawn
Faun is a creature of Roman legend, part man and part goat. The faun is a disciple of the god Faunus. Fawn is a young deer usually less than a year old. If you see a fawn alone in a field, a doe is likely nearby.
Difference between Father-in-laws and Fathers-in-law
Fathers-in-law is the correct phrase.
Difference between Fatal and Fateful
Fatal refers to causing death, destruction, or ruin. By not heeding the advice, the group made a fatal mistake. Fateful refers to one’s destiny. Lightfoot wrote about the Edmund Fitzgerald’s fateful voyage.
Difference between Farther and Further
Farther refers to a physical distance. Do not place the unit farther than 10 feet from the house. Further refers to a greater degree or extent. Because of the legal aid ruling, the trial now faces further delay.
Difference between Famous, Infamous and Notorious
Famous means to be widely known. Tom Clancy, the famous author, autographed Eve’s books. Infamous and notorious mean well known and unfavorably viewed. His philandering made him infamous (notorious) around town.
Difference between Fair to middling and Fair to midland
Fair to middling, meaning so-so, is the correct phrase. This late 1800s expression originally referred to cotton grading, where fair was one of the lowest grades of cotton and middling was the next lowest.
Difference between Faint, Feign and Feint
Faint, as an adjective, refers to being dizzy, lacking clarity, or lacking brightness. As a verb, it means to lose consciousness. She suddenly felt faint after the rigorous workout in the gym. He has a faint recollection of what happened last night. The sun cast a faint shadow on the house at day’s end. Mom […]
Difference between Facilitate and Felicitate
Facilitate means to make easier. His assistant facilitates the ordering process. Felicitate means to congratulate or make happy. The league felicitated Jon on his 100th game.
Difference between Facetious, Factious and Factitious
Facetious means humorous or flippant. Cathy was being facetious with her stories and meant no harm. Factious means causing internal dissension or opposition. A factious attitude can hinder any workplace. Factitious means artificial or unnatural. Speculation caused the factitious value of those stocks. The doctor ruled out malingering or a factitious disorder.
Difference between Fable, Legend, Myth and Parable
A fable is a simple, short, narrative story with animals as characters designed to enforce some useful truth or moral. A legend is an unverified story handed down from earlier times. A myth is a story usually dealing with a superhuman being and events that have no natural explanation. A parable also relates to a […]