mots de la peur en anglais
Anglais B2 : vocabulaire de la peur (nuances)
0) À retenir en 10 secondes
* Pour la peur : worried (inquiet), nervous (stress), anxious (anxiété / appréhension), scared/afraid (peur standard), terrified/petrified (terreur).
1) Adjectifs : échelle d’intensité
| Mot | Nuance / registre | Exemple |
|---|---|---|
| uneasy | malaise, pas rassuré | I felt uneasy walking alone at night. |
| nervous | stress / trac (souvent performance, social) | I’m nervous about the exam. |
| worried | inquiet pour un résultat / une personne | I’m worried about my dad. |
| anxious | anxieux (plus durable, mental) | She’s anxious about the interview. |
| scared | peur courante, oral | I’m scared of dogs. |
| afraid | proche de scared, un peu plus neutre/soigné | I’m afraid of heights. |
| frightened | effrayé (plus “écrit”) | The child was frightened by the noise. |
| terrified | très peur | I was terrified during the storm. |
| petrified | terrorisé + figé (paralysé) | I was petrified; I couldn’t move. |
2) Peur soudaine vs peur qui dure
2.1 Réaction immédiate
| Mot | Idée | Exemple |
|---|---|---|
| startled | sursaut / surprise (pas forcément peur durable) | I was startled by a loud bang. |
| shocked | choqué (émotion forte, pas forcément peur) | I was shocked by what I heard. |
| panicked | panique, perte de contrôle | He panicked and ran. |
2.2 Appréhension / tension (qui s’installe)
| Mot / expression | Idée | Exemple |
|---|---|---|
| apprehensive (B2, formel) | appréhender à l’avance | I’m apprehensive about moving to a new city. |
| on edge | à cran, nerveux | Everyone was on edge after the break-in. |
| tense | tendu (physique/mental) | He looked tense. |
| dread (souvent nom/verbe) | peur anticipée + “mauvais pressentiment” | I dread going to that meeting. |
3) Peur liée à menace / domination
| Mot | Nuance | Exemple |
|---|---|---|
| intimidated | impressionné + “écrasé”, pas à l’aise | I felt intimidated by the boss. |
| threatened | se sentir menacé (danger/hostilité) | She felt threatened by his tone. |
| daunted | intimidé + découragé (défi énorme) | I was daunted by the amount of work. |
4) Ambiance “qui fait peur” (films, lieux)
| Mot | Nuance | Exemple |
|---|---|---|
| creepy | flippant, malsain (souvent une personne/lieu) | That guy is creepy. |
| eerie | étrange, inquiétant (atmosphère) | The empty street felt eerie. |
| spooked (informel) | effrayé / “ça m’a fait flipper” | I got spooked by a shadow. |
5) Noms : fear / fright / anxiety / terror / dread
| Nom | Quand l’utiliser | Exemple |
|---|---|---|
| fear | peur en général (neutre) | fear of failure |
| fright | peur soudaine (surprise + peur) | It gave me a fright. |
| anxiety | anxiété (durable, mentale) | social anxiety |
| terror | terreur (très fort) | a sense of terror |
| dread | peur anticipée + négatif | the dread of Monday mornings |
- dread = crainte profonde / redouter
- to dread = redouter
- dreadful = affreux,
- attention pas seulement idée de peur mais aussi terrible
- dreadfully = terriblement
- dreadlocks = dreadlocks
- dreadnought = litt. “qui ne craint rien”
- to fear = craindre
- fearless sans crainte
- fearsome effrayant
—
6) Grammaire & collocations (B2)
6.1 afraid/scared : of vs to
| Structure | Sens | Exemple |
|---|---|---|
| afraid/scared of + nom / V-ing | peur de “la chose” | afraid of spiders / afraid of flying |
| afraid/scared to + V | peur de faire l’action | afraid to speak up (= peur de prendre la parole) |
6.2 Verbes fréquents
* to fear (plus formel) : Many people fear change. * to worry about : I worry about my kids. * to panic : Don’t panic. * to freak out (informel) : I freaked out.
7) Expressions très naturelles
* frozen with fear / scared stiff = paralysé de peur * my heart was racing = cœur qui bat très vite * nerve-racking = stressant, éprouvant * I couldn’t help but feel… = je ne pouvais pas m’empêcher de ressentir…
8) Erreurs fréquentes (pièges)
* anxious peut aussi vouloir dire “impatient” :
- I’m anxious to hear the news. = impatient (pas anxieux).
* terrific ≠ terrified :
- terrific = génial (souvent), pas “terrifiant”.
* fearful existe mais est moins courant que afraid :
- fearful of change (plus formel).
9) Mini-exercice (choisis le mot le plus naturel)
Complète avec : uneasy / nervous / worried / anxious / apprehensive / startled / panicked / intimidated / creepy / eerie / terrified / petrified
* I felt ____ walking through that empty parking lot at night. * I’m ____ about my driving test tomorrow (I might fail). * She was ____ by the sudden scream. * He ____ when he realized he’d lost his passport. * I’m ____ about speaking in front of 200 people. * The manager’s tone made me feel __. * The old house felt __ (strange + unsettling). * The clown was really ____ (unpleasant vibe). * I was ____ during the turbulence (very strong fear). * I was ____ and couldn’t move.
Corrigé (proposition)
* uneasy * worried * startled * panicked * nervous / anxious (les deux possibles ; nervous = trac) * intimidated * eerie * creepy * terrified * petrified