Synonyms

scared

American

[skaird] / skɛərd /

adjective

filled with fear, terror, or dread, often suddenly; frightened; alarmed.

The doctor provided not only physical treatment but also moral guidance for scared patients with terminal diagnoses.
I came into college as a scared freshman and left as a confident, competent adult.

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of scare.

Other Word Forms

unscared adjective

Etymology

Origin of scared

scare ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"We were scared. They could go to any extent to get their point across."

From BBC

The broker initially quoted lower figures, and now I’m scared the costs may be too high.

From MarketWatch

“I think people are scared, especially with all of the ICE activity. There is something new every day; it seems like the headlines continue to get worse, and we cannot escape it.”

From Salon

Speaking to the BBC World Service's Newsday programme, he explained how scared and anxious he felt as he waited for news of his wife.

From BBC

"He is scared of his shadow, that boy," he heard Val the miller mutter to her brother as he passed them.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023