おそれ・恐れ・怖れ・虞・畏れosore[3]odaka (tail-high)

1. nounfear; horror; anxiety; concern; uneasiness; reverence
   環境かんきょう汚染おせんについての恐おそれは、人々ひとびとに発電所はつでんしょの近ちかくに家いえを建たてることを思おもいとどまらせた。↗

   Fear of pollution discouraged people from building homes near power plants.
2. nounrisk; danger; likelihood; fear
3. nounawe; reverence

• Synonym懸念けねんWrittenWritten-style word for worry about something, as in 「懸念を示す」; more formal than 「恐れ」, which also covers the sense of likelihood.
• Synonym心配しんぱいNeutralThe everyday word for worry or concern, as in 「心配をかける」; the most common choice in speech, and more personal in feel than 「恐れ」.
• Synonym憂慮ゆうりょWrittenWritten word for deep worry, as in 「事態を憂慮する」; leans toward concern over a situation rather than fear of a single bad outcome.
• Synonym不安ふあんNeutralAnxiety or unease, as in 「不安を感じる」; a vague feeling of insecurity, while 「恐れ」 is fear that something bad will happen.
• Synonym恐怖きょうふNeutralFear or dread, as in 「恐怖映画」; stronger than 「恐れ」 and closer to fright or terror.
• Synonym気遣いきづかいNeutralConsideration or thoughtfulness for others, as in 「気遣いに感謝する」; overlaps partly with the worry sense of 「恐れ」.
• Synonym危惧きぐWrittenWritten word for worry that a situation will worsen, as in 「絶滅が危惧される」; carries a sense of crisis.
• Synonym心労しんろうWrittenWritten word for the strain of worrying, as in 「心労が重なる」; stresses mental exhaustion.
• Synonym憂虞ゆうぐWrittenWritten word for anxiety; rare in modern Japanese.
• Synonym物案じものあんじWrittenWritten word for anxious brooding over something; rare in modern Japanese.
• Synonym危疑きぎWrittenWritten word for fear mixed with doubt; rare in modern Japanese.
• Synonym憂懼ゆうくWrittenWritten word for dread and worry; rare in modern Japanese.
• Synonym危懼きくWrittenAn older written form of 「危惧」; rare in modern Japanese.
• Related気苦労きぐろうNeutralWorries and cares that wear you down, as in 「気苦労が多い」; often about the effort of dealing with people.
• Related憂患ゆうかんWrittenWritten word for distress and hardship; rare in modern Japanese.
• Related煩慮はんりょWrittenWritten word for fretting over many different matters; rare in modern Japanese.
• Antonym安心あんしんNeutralRelief or peace of mind; the opposite of 「恐れ」 in its sense of fearing something bad will happen.
• Antonym安全あんぜんNeutralSafety, the absence of danger; the opposite of 「恐れ」 in its risk sense.

Use 「恐れ」 for the possibility that something bad may happen, or for awe, as in 「雨の恐れ」 and 「〜する恐れがある」. For everyday worry say 「心配」; for formal concern 「懸念」; for intense fear 「恐怖」. The opposite is 「安心」. Most of the other words here are written-style or rare today.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. （おそれ）悪わるいことが起おこるのではないかという心配しんぱい、懸念けねん。