scary

[ skair-ee ]

See synonyms for: scary scarier scariest on Thesaurus.com

adjective,scar·i·er, scar·i·est.

causing fright or alarm.
easily frightened; timid.

Origin of scary

First recorded in 1575–85; scare + -y¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use scary in a sentence

Which does she find scarier—the Aussie tabloids or Taliban marauders?
CNN's Overnight Sydney Star | Lloyd Grove | December 16, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Halloween in France suddenly got scarier than anybody wanted.
French Freak-Out Over Creepy Clowns | Tracy McNicoll | October 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
What [my doctor] was telling me was a lot scarier than I thought.
The Silent Shame of HPV | Emily Shire | August 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
But still, HPV carries a lot of unknown health consequences, which makes it scarier.
The Silent Shame of HPV | Emily Shire | August 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
“Hologram Michael Jackson was scarier than the ‘Thriller’ video,” said Buzzfeed.
Michael Jackson's Crazy Billboard Awards Performance and More Hologram Wins and Fails (VIDEO) | The Daily Beast | May 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

Those hackers were a lot scarier than Lester and Perry, but they were still lovable and fascinating in their own way.
Makers | Cory Doctorow
And they see somethin' scarier to them than a hundred strangers with guns—they see ME!
Americans All | Various

British Dictionary definitions for scary

scary

/ (ˈskɛərɪ) /

adjectivescarier or scariest informal

causing fear or alarm; frightening
easily roused to fear; timid

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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