Definition

Noun: - Fear that affects a person about to face an audience: A feeling of nervousness or anxiety experienced by a performer or speaker just before or during a public appearance.

Usage

"Stage fright" is an uncountable noun. It describes the specific anxiety related to performing or speaking in front of a group of people. It is often used with verbs like have, experience, overcome, or suffer from.

Examples

• Even seasoned actors can sometimes experience stage fright before a big opening night.
• She was unable to speak due to a sudden bout of stage fright.
• He is taking a class to help him overcome his stage fright.

Advanced Usage

• "to have a case of stage fright": to experience a specific instance of this nervousness.
  • The young musician had a bad case of stage fright and forgot the first notes of her piece.

Variants and Related Words

• Performance anxiety (n): A more clinical or general term for fear related to performing, which can include but is not limited to public speaking or acting.
  • Performance anxiety can affect athletes as well as musicians.

Synonyms

• Nerves (informal)
• Performance anxiety
• Mic fright (informal, specific to using a microphone)

Related Idioms

• "To get cold feet": To suddenly become too frightened to do something you had planned to do. This is more general than stage fright but can be used in similar contexts.
  • He got cold feet and almost didn't go on stage.

Noun

1. fear that affects a person about to face an audience