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page fright

page fright

8.3
A feeling of nervousness before reading aloud or speaking in public
  • noun
  • /peɪdʒ fraɪt/
translation icon : nerviosismo escénico
  • He struggled to overcome his page fright before giving the keynote speech.

Examples

  • Her page fright faded as soon as she started reading the poem aloud.

  • Many authors admit to feeling page fright at literary readings.

  • She felt a wave of page fright before her speech.

  • Do you ever experience page fright during presentations?

  • He struggled to overcome his page fright before giving the keynote speech.

  • Her page fright faded as soon as she started reading the poem aloud.

  • Many authors admit to feeling page fright at literary readings.

Synonyms

fright
vspage fright
88 1.5

A sudden strong feeling of fear when you expect danger

is anticipatory nervousness before public speaking, not a sudden fear from danger
apprehension
vspage fright
32 4.4

A feeling of fear or worry that something bad may happen

is specific to anxiety before presenting written material, not general worry about bad events
stage fright
vspage fright
22 3.9

Nervousness before you perform or speak in front of people

focuses on anxiety before showing or reading written material to an audience

Antonyms

456 2.1

A belief that you can do something well

9 2.7

A state without strong feelings or worry in your mind

How Nervous

to panic
272 2.3
stage fright
22 3.9
page fright
8.3
nervousness
36 2.7

Surface Forms

page fright singular
page frights plural

Morphology

page + fright

The compound combines 'page' (written material) with 'fright' (fear), so a learner who knows both words can readily infer it means fear or nervousness related to pages or presenting written material. This compositional pattern is straightforward and parallels common English compounds (and similar patterns in other languages), making the meaning immediately comprehensible to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Page fright may come from the idea of 'stage fright' but for reading: imagine someone at the front of a room, staring at a page and feeling fright before they start to read aloud. That's why it means 'feeling nervous before speaking or presenting'.