区别辨析alarm、fear、fright、horror、panic、terror与dread

这些名词均含“恐惧、惧怕、惊恐”之意。

alarm :强调突然意识到有危险而产生的恐惧心理。

  • I felt a growing sense of alarm when he did not return that night.
    那天夜里他没有回家,我越来越感到恐慌。

fear :普通用词,侧重指面临危险或灾祸时内心所引起的恐惧心情。

  • We lived in constant fear of losing our jobs.
    我们一直生活在担心失去工作的阴影里。

fright :通常指一阵突然的、令人震惊的短暂恐惧,有时含夸张意味。

  • The steam pipes rattled suddenly, and Franklin uttered a shriek and jumped with fright.
    蒸汽管突然发出咯咯的响声,富兰克林尖叫一声,吓得跳了起来。

horror :侧重指因看到令人讨厌或危险的东西或情景而引起的厌恶情绪、极度恐惧心情或战栗的动作。

  • People watched in horror as the plane crashed to the ground.
    人们惊恐地看着飞机坠落到地面上。
  • With a look of horror, he asked if the doctor thought he had cancer.
    他惊恐失色地问医生是否认定他患了癌症。

panic :常指因突如其来的外界威胁使人群出现惊慌、恐惧或混乱。

  • Office workers fled in panic as the fire took hold.
    火势起来时,办公室人员惊慌逃出。

terror :指极大的恐惧和惊骇,语气最强。

  • People fled from the explosion in terror.
    人们惊恐地逃离了爆炸现场。

dread :可与 fear 换用,着重害怕的心理,但 dread 常指胆怯和丧失勇气。

  • The committee members live in dread of anything that may cause a scandal.
    委员会成员整天提心吊胆,生怕有什么事会引起流言飞语。