1
as in terrifying
causing fear
a scary movie that gave the child nightmares for weeks afterwards
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in timid
easily frightened
a scary horse who spooked and kicked at its own shadow
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in scared
filled with fear or dread
I got a little scary when I heard the noise in the basement
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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a scary movie
a scary thought
a terrifying thought
a horrifying thought
a frightening thought
a chilling thought
a horrible thought
scary stories
a scary time
a scary situation
a terrifying situation
a dangerous situation
a frightening situation
a bad situation
a crazy situation
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scary
So their arrival in the world of the New Avengers may be a harbinger of scary things to come.
—
Eliana Dockterman, Time, 2 May 2025
Director Felipe Vargas’ feature debut is first rate and genuinely scary but also has higher aspirations by reminding us of the dangers of ignoring our family history and for choosing to help out the wealthy and not those in need.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 1 May 2025
The scary incident when DeJong got hit in the face caused a fractured nose.
—Hunter Mulholland, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
But thanks to declining vaccination rates, Americans may have to contend with a much scarier future for the deadly disease.
—Lauren Goode, Wired News, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for scary
Eliana Dockterman, Time, 2 May 2025
Director Felipe Vargas’ feature debut is first rate and genuinely scary but also has higher aspirations by reminding us of the dangers of ignoring our family history and for choosing to help out the wealthy and not those in need.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 1 May 2025
The scary incident when DeJong got hit in the face caused a fractured nose.
—Hunter Mulholland, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 May 2025
But thanks to declining vaccination rates, Americans may have to contend with a much scarier future for the deadly disease.
—Lauren Goode, Wired News, 1 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for scary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scary
Adjective
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The family eventually crosses paths with a corrupt theme-park operator (John Ortiz), his sheriff (Colin Hanks) and a terrifying crime boss (Sharon Stone) before chaos ensues.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
15 May 2025
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The additional terrifying factor was that the plane had only three minutes of fuel left — and Cruise had still not gotten up.—
Antonia Blyth,
Deadline,
14 May 2025
Adjective
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Twilight was quite timid initially and hid under the bed for the first few days.—
Alyce Collins,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 May 2025
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The Makos athletes also noticed that their parents were timid around water.—
Tribune News Service,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 May 2025
Adjective
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Well, Netflix has found another one of these aspirational gurus who are scared to die and are willing to go to extreme lengths to preserve their physique — at any cost.—
Rebecca Aizin,
People.com,
16 May 2025
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More news: 3 Dodgers Under Most Pressure to Perform Following Shocking Roster Move While some fans appeared to be understandably scared, many just remained in their seats, seemingly unaware of the animal scurrying around them.—
Noah Camras,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 May 2025
Adjective
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Major cities like New York were already facing frightening death tolls that climbed higher each day—but that’s not what Eddington is about.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
17 May 2025
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And that was a very clear and real and frightening constant thought.—
Jack Royston,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 May 2025
Adjective
-
Burnsville officers went to Warren’s home around 9:30 a.m. after her sister called 911, explaining that Warren had called her during a fearful moment, deputies said.—
Mike Stunson,
Kansas City Star,
13 May 2025
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Without psychological safety, however, discomfort, conflict and ruthless competition can lead to a fearful workforce.—
Sanjeev Menon,
Forbes.com,
12 May 2025
Adjective
-
The youngest cast member at the time, Williams set the tone for the raw emotion the show was not afraid to show over the years.—
Jen Juneau,
People.com,
24 May 2025
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Moreover, Rocket has a relatively new CEO who wants to dominate the mortgage industry and is not afraid of technology, previously working at Intuit, PayPal, Groupon and Microsoft.—
Kenneth Squire,
CNBC,
24 May 2025
Adjective
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Each pits a young heroine of humble means against the formidable, possibly sinister lady of the estate; this time, that quintessential Nicole Kidman role is played by a serenely terrifying Julianne Moore.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
22 May 2025
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Selling a descent from stress into a state of devastation that can never be shed (only briefly reprised) is the formidable actress Parinaz Izadyar.—
Sophie Monks Kaufman,
IndieWire,
22 May 2025
Adjective
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The frightened Maltese was swimming in circles, but Desalvo and his colleagues were able to pull her to safety.—
Rebecca White,
New York Daily News,
10 May 2025
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The first few attempts to free the dog failed, then the rescuers cleverly used a tarp to hoist the frightened animal to safety.—
Kendall Malinchock,
USA Today,
9 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scary. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
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