how would you number these?

in terms of intensity?

I am afraid of
I am scared of
I am terrified of

I sometimes hesitate between which to use best.

 

I am afraid of... small spiders ..a two out of ten intensity rating
I am scared of...normal sized spiders.. a five out of ten rating
I am terrified of...big spiders...an eight out of ten rating

 

scared > terified > afraid

haha! This is the dilemma i usually face. With a semi-geeky shadow hovering around me, i once used the phrase 'Mind went haywire like a neuclear reactor beyond critical condition'

 

Afraid - low intensity: There are hundreds of things I'm afraid of ranging from late bills to misspeaking to my overbearing boss. Also, it's often used in a much more casual context in regular conversation, i.e. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

Scared - medium intensity: I personally feel that the term "scare" evokes more of a physical reaction than simply being afraid (which could be a result of something as minimal as stress or worry).

Terrified - high intensity: To me, this suggest an extreme reaction. There are things that frighten, and then there are things that terrorize, that make your heart beat painfully fast and your innards crawl with anxiety.

 

I agree with Art and Berber. Terrified > Scared > Afraid

 

How surprising!!
I would have thought terrified would the first one.
Scared middle or second
Afraid first and
Any reasons why you thought out your order in this way?

 

I agree with Berber - afraid can be mild, a scare is slightly more intense, but terrified is where people freeze, their minds empty on how to deal with the paralyzing fear that fills them.

 

you didn't say if the worst should go first, or the least, so some posts have the worst first and some the least...