Talk:feared

Adjective

I agree with you that many of the words classified as adjectives at en:wikt are not, in fact, true adjectives. Indeed, there are many that I do not classify that way here even though they are marked that way there. However, I strongly disagree with you that feared is not a true adjective. It can be graded by more and most, something that a simple past tense does not do afaik, and can be modified by an adverb. As it meets the basic criteria of an adjective, it needs to be classified as such. · Tygrrr... 15:48, 5 March 2009 (UTC)

I would have to agree with Tygrrr on this, as well as on your removal of the adjective form of blazing. I do agree that many of the adjectives on the English Wiktionary are not true adjectives, however, I agree with Tygrrr that this is definitely an adjective. A dictator can become feared by the people that elected him; a military leader can become feared by the opposition, and in general, things can become feared. This is definitely an adjective. Cheers, Razorflame 15:50, 5 March 2009 (UTC)

Yes, most feared is quite common, but more feared is rather unusual, and very feared strikes me as odd, and I find no instances of it in the Corpus of Current American English or in the BNC. Also, he seemed feared doesn't work, so my feeling is that most feared is a bit of an idiom, but this one could go one way or the other. Revert if you wish.--Brett 19:31, 5 March 2009 (UTC)

Just some examples where I think they work:

• more feared: Genghis Khan was more feared as a leader than Napoleon.
• seemed feared: He seems feared by his peers so I don't think I will promote him.
• very feared: well, yes, I'm having a hard time coming up with a sentence that sounds normal, but I do think things can be very feared, truly feared, commonly feared, often feared, etc.

I think they sound weird not because they don't work, but because they're not all that common. But seeing as it fits the criteria more than not, I will return the adjective form to the page. · Tygrrr... 22:38, 5 March 2009 (UTC)

Those examples strike me as ungrammatical. A web search for seems feared turns up only 67 items. In contrast goed there turns up 791. It's not that people are simply not saying it. They don't say it because it's not part of the language.--Brett 23:42, 5 March 2009 (UTC)

"most feared" turns up 1,030,000 results while "greatly feared" turns up 120,000 -- really all these examples sound completely natural to me. --Jared 00:04, 6 March 2009 (UTC)

Yes, I've already noted the odd behaviour of most feared. And other adverbs, such as often, truly, commonly, greatly, etc. do not bear on the question as the modify both verbs and adjectives.--Brett 01:35, 6 March 2009 (UTC)