1.
fear; dread; fright
A feeling of being afraid of something.
失敗への恐れがある。
I have a fear of failure.
恐れを克服する。
To overcome one's fears.
2.
risk; possibility (of something bad)
The possibility that something undesirable might happen.
地震の恐れがある。
There's a risk of an earthquake.
恐れ can express both emotional fear and the possibility of something negative happening.
RELATED WORDS:
- 恐ろしい (おそろしい): frightening, terrible
- 恐れる (おそれる): to fear (verb)
- 恐怖 (きょうふ): fear, terror
COMMON PATTERNS:
- 〜の恐れがある: there is a risk of ~
- 恐れを抱く: to harbor fear
- 恐れ入りますが: excuse me, but... (polite)