scary

American  

[skair-ee] / ˈskɛər i /

adjective

scarier, scariest

1. causing fright or alarm.

2. easily frightened; timid.

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scary British  

/ ˈskɛərɪ /

adjective

1. causing fear or alarm; frightening

2. easily roused to fear; timid

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Etymology

Origin of scary

First recorded in 1575–85; scare + -y ¹

Example Sentences

“The market believes that this will get worked through. It may be noisy, it may be disruptive, it may be scary, but that it will get worked through.”

From The Wall Street Journal

“It’s amazing, and it’s also scary,” said Andrew Duca, chief executive of Awaken Tax, a cryptocurrency tax platform.

From The Wall Street Journal

But, he adds, things are painful, and scary.

From BBC

"The impact is real. The impact is certainly being seen across the board. And I think the scariest part is, we're only in the first year," epidemiologist Syra Madad told AFP.

From Barron's

And I was like, wow, those moments are maybe connected to this feeling of independence and a new kind of personhood that for a child is exhilarating and also really scary.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• alarming
• chilling
• creepy
• eerie
• hairy
• horrifying
• intimidating
• shocking
• spooky