30 Metaphors for Fear In Figurative Language
Fear, that primal emotion, which has started to haunt people from past time. If the people never try to overcome their fear, their fear will eat their personality with the passage of time. Furthermore, if you’ve interested to know what types of fears destroy your personality, read this article because it contains the best metaphors for fear.
Join us as we delve into the captivating realm of metaphors for fear.
Metaphors for Fear
1. “A Shot Across the Bow”
Meaning: Refers towards a warning or threat.
In the Example Sentence: His progress is a short across the bow, helping their intent to take over the market.
2. “A Chicken with Its Head Cut Off”
Meaning: To be stuck in panic aimlessly.
In the Example Sentence: Yesterday, I went to a bank to remove some money from my account, suddenly I heard the fire alarm ring, and at the same time everybody in the bank started to run to save their life like a chicken with its head cut off.
3. “Fear is a Broken Mirror”
Meaning: It’s suggesting that fear can alter one’s perception of themselves.
In the Example Sentence: Fear is a broken mirror distorting your self-image.
4. “A Wild Ride”
Meaning: Be proved very dangerous for life.
In the Example Sentence: To go for a trip to his old bike is very arduous like a wild ride.
5. “A Shot in the Dark”
Meaning: Making a decision without knowing all the real facts.
In the Example Sentence: Without efforts, he shot in the dark to earn a lot of money.
6. “A Ticking Time Bomb”
Meaning: This metaphor is used for a thing, which explodes at any moment.
In the Example Sentence: His anger is a ticking time bomb which destroys every things near it.
7. “A Dark Cloud Hanging Over”
Meaning: To refer to a disappointed.
In the Example sentence: In harsh conditions, I felt a dark cloud of despair hanging over my mind which blocked me from progressing.
8. “A Leap of Faith”
Meaning: To stand for work without knowing the outcome.
In the Example Sentence: To trust on an unknown person is, as a leap of faith, extremely risky.
9. “Frozen with Fear”
Meaning: Full drenched with fear.
In the Example Sentence: When he watched the lion, he froze with fear.
10. “A Storm Brewing”
Meaning: Ready an equipment to blast.
In the Example Sentence: The heated arguments between the 2 friends indicated that there was a storm brewing which can cause a big destruction.
11. “Fear is an Archer”
Meaning: The arrows symbolize doubts and apprehensions that can pierce and weaken our will.
In the Example Sentence: Fear is an archer, aiming at our resolve and intimidating our will with its arrows.
12. “A Snake in the Grass”
Meaning: It’s used for those people who attack you from behind with full venom.
In the Example Sentence: His friend didn’t accept that he is such a snake in the grass who is cheating with him.
13. “A Sinking Feeling”
Meaning: Pulling towards hopelessness.
In the Example Sentence: As the storm approached, a sinking feeling gripped him, knowing that danger was imminent.
14. “A Bottomless Pit”
Meaning: To be very hungry or have a never-ending appetite.
In the Example Sentence: He has greed about money like a bottomless pit no matter how much he had, it’s never enough for him.
15. “Fear is a Winding River”
Meaning: To create convoluted obstacles in the way of goals.
In the Example Sentence: Fear is a winding river that can be heavy on someone’s desires and blocking his way.
16. “Fear is a Shroud”
Meaning: Ability to hide our inner bravery.
In the Example Sentence: Our teacher told us that fear is a shroud covering your courage.
17. “A Wolf at the Door”
Meaning: To think with fear that someone is very hungry and ready to kill you.
In the Example Sentence: He fears his father angry like a wolf at the door because yesterday he saw his father fighting someone in the street.
18. “A Pandora’s Box”
Meaning: To open someone’s secret of fear.
In the Example Sentence: He had known his competitor’s secret of fear like a pandora’s box and tightened him every time for fun.
19. “A Needle in a Haystack”
Meaning: Very arduous to find something in a crowd.
In the Example Sentence: Trying to find delight in the many arduous situations is looking like a needle in a haystack.
20. “A House of Cards”
Meaning: To be very unstable and easily fall at any time.
In the Example Sentence: Due to his selfishness, he lost his trust because everybody has known that he’s not able to trust, because his trust is a house of cards.
21. “Fear is a Wall”
Meaning: It creates a sense of isolation.
In the Example Sentence: Fear is a wall of ice that isolates you.
22. “A Double-Edged Sword”
Meaning: It’s used for someone who gives both positive and negative consequences.
In the Example Sentence: Technology, while advancing society, is proved also a double-edged sword, with potential dangers and benefits.
23. “A Slippery Slope”
Meaning: A small mistake becomes a reason for huge problems.
In the Example Sentence: Involving with him on his risky planning such as to walk on a slippery slope.
24. “A Tightrope Walk”
Meaning: It symbolizes a risky condition.
In the Example Sentence: On the way, we’ve crossed a tightrope walk, that’s why we reached our point late.
25. “Fear is a Powerful Prison”
Meaning: It’s emphasizing capacity to confine and limit one’s actions, thoughts, and potentials.
In the Example Sentence: Fear is a powerful prison, keeping you trapped and hinders one’s ability to move forward and seize opportunities.
26. “A Sinking Ship”
Meaning: To indicate to face loss, or failing in goal.
In the Example Sentence: His family was very upset and in stress because their financial troubles were a clear sign of a sinking ship.
27. “A Rollercoaster of Emotions”
Meaning: It indicates full excitement or feeling with the ups and downs.
In the Example Sentence: When she rode on a chairlift, her fear took her on a rollercoaster of emotions.
28. “A Drop in the Bucket”
Meaning: Very low try for grand scheme of progress.
In the Example Sentence: We should have to little bit help in donation, it makes the donation complete like a drop in the bucket.
29. “Fear is a Caged Bird”
Meaning: Symbolizing restriction and loss of freedom.
In the Example Sentence: He always tells his younger brother that fear is a caged bird forgetting how to fly.
30. “The Elephant in the Room”
Meaning: Such a problem which is known to everybody but nobody wants to solve it.
In the Example Sentence: His fear of public speaking was the elephant in the room during the conference.
FAQs
Conclusion
Our main goal is to give you the best knowledge about metaphors for fear which not only enhance your personality but also help you to fully overcome your fear in our language to help us communicate and express ourselves.
In short, now it’s not wrong to say that these “metaphors for fear” have been ingrained in our language and culture, providing us a creative way to express and understand the nuances of fear. Also, thanks for reading.