afraid of touching vs afraid to touch

Both "afraid of touching" and "afraid to touch" are correct, but they are used in slightly different contexts. "Afraid of touching" is used when the fear is related to the action of touching itself, while "afraid to touch" is used when the fear is related to the consequences or outcomes of touching.

Last updated: March 30, 2024 • 1420 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"afraid of touching"

This phrase is used when the fear is related to the action of touching itself. It indicates a fear or aversion towards the act of physically making contact with something or someone.

Examples:

She is afraid of touching spiders.
He is afraid of touching the hot stove.
The child is afraid of touching the snake.
I am afraid of touching raw meat.
They are afraid of touching the unknown object.

Show examples from the web [+]

'Cause he's a physician, he's not afraid of touching sick guys.
You were afraid of women touching you.
Afraid of me touching the kid?
Great combination of touching sentiment and TMI.
I liked the feeling of touching animals best.
I want to pioneer the art of touching.
I want to work with you to pioneer the art of touching.
I couldn't bear the idea of touching his hand.
It's a completely different way of touching.
But there was a lot of touching.
I would never dream of touching your family.
I did not like Varinius of touching it.
We'll find the right level of touching.
That's not the kind of touching I meant.
He's got curly grey hair, wouldn't dream of touching it up.
But he can't bear to pass me in the hallway for fear of touching me.
I don't have any memories of touching my dad's hand, or what my mom smells like.
Study instead of touching people's humps!
After thinking about it I realized that the art of touching is really quite an interesting concept.
It felt like everyone who ever made the mistake of touching Ali was there that night.

Alternatives:

scared of touching
fearful of touching
terrified of touching

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English.

"afraid to touch"

This phrase is used when the fear is related to the consequences or outcomes of touching. It indicates a fear or reluctance to physically make contact with something or someone due to the potential negative results.

Examples:

She is afraid to touch the spider in case it bites her.
He is afraid to touch the hot stove because it might burn him.
The child is afraid to touch the snake out of fear of being bitten.
I am afraid to touch raw meat because of contamination.
They are afraid to touch the unknown object for fear of what it might be.

Show examples from the web [+]

I was afraid to touch the death seen in her.
I'm still afraid to touch anybody.
I'm afraid to touch anything.
We don't want them to be afraid to touch the goods.
She cries so much, she's afraid to touch her Kids.
Don't be afraid to touch a star
Skip's been at home in hiding ever since, Afraid to touch anyone.
And now, I'm afraid to touch another woman.
I should be afraid to touch anything'.
I'm afraid to touch anything, but it's beautiful.
Danara, I was never afraid to touch you.
You're afraid to touch me, and it's all my fault.
His whole system's so complicated, I'm afraid to touch it myself.
After what happened to Floyd, I'm afraid to touch it, except to turn it over to somebody else.
Don't be afraid to touch it and become one with it!
Stand closer, what, you are afraid to touch me?
are you afraid to touch it?
I'm afraid to touch him.
If we had the OgIa and the ReIora as our allies, the others would be afraid to touch us.

Alternatives:

scared to touch
reluctant to touch
hesitant to touch

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afraid of touching vs afraid to touch