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Synonyms

scary

American  
[skair-ee] / ˈskɛər i /

adjective

scarier, scariest

  1. causing fright or alarm.

  2. easily frightened; timid.

scary British  
/ ˈskɛərɪ /

adjective

  1. causing fear or alarm; frightening

  2. 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

Etymology

Origin of scary

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

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.

The “Messy” hitmaker told Rolling Stone in a recent interview that she was grateful that she fainted onstage late last year, and framed the scary ordeal as a wake-up call.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

During Covid, he said, it was his aim to "provide some light relief because it was a scary time".

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

How do you make a film scary when every waking day is scarier?

From Salon • Mar. 29, 2026

“It’s a scary thing, it’s not good for our industry,” said Michael Smith, chief executive of Freeport LNG, an exporter, at an energy conference in Houston this week.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

That settles it: There are few things as scary as a forest with no living things in it.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.