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
While most of these games are spooky or downright scary, this one encourages players to take big chances to blast bad guys in the face.
—
Rob Wieland, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
Among those names, all but Samuel are on the wrong side of 30, but Samuel is also coming back from a scary neck injury and has had his father, a former ballhawking cornerback by the same name, badmouthing Miami management earlier this month on a podcast.
—David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 21 July 2025
There was a scary moment later in the third quarter when Charlotte’s James Banks III hit Sacramento’s Dylan Cardwell with a vicious elbow to the face.
—Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 21 July 2025
The filmmakers used the sounds of babies crying to make a scary noise
In the film, the bad people go to a bad afterlife, and they’re taken there by creepy, inky shadow things.
—Drew MacKie, People.com, 13 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for scary
Rob Wieland, Forbes.com, 21 July 2025
Among those names, all but Samuel are on the wrong side of 30, but Samuel is also coming back from a scary neck injury and has had his father, a former ballhawking cornerback by the same name, badmouthing Miami management earlier this month on a podcast.
—David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 21 July 2025
There was a scary moment later in the third quarter when Charlotte’s James Banks III hit Sacramento’s Dylan Cardwell with a vicious elbow to the face.
—Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 21 July 2025
The filmmakers used the sounds of babies crying to make a scary noise
In the film, the bad people go to a bad afterlife, and they’re taken there by creepy, inky shadow things.
—Drew MacKie, People.com, 13 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for scary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scary
Adjective
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But a week later, what had been named the Dragon Bravo Fire hit a patch of fuel and took on a terrifying character in new gusts of wind, surrounding overwhelmed firefighters on a helipad and heading with unstoppable force to the south.—
Tom Zoellner,
AZCentral.com,
25 July 2025
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As global anxiety builds, Luna must face not just the predator in the desert but the terrifying possibility that humanity’s end is hurtling toward them from the stars.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
25 July 2025
Adjective
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Alexis Bittar has never been shy about shining a light on subjects those with a timid approach would avoid.—
Roxanne Robinson,
Forbes.com,
18 July 2025
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But the timid reaction also underscored Europe’s bystander role, contrasting with its past approach on that topic.—
Garret Martin,
The Conversation,
15 July 2025
Adjective
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There’s people that are getting into trouble because the powers that be are scared, too.—
Mario Koran,
jsonline.com,
12 July 2025
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Most notable in the repeat of Man of Steel elements and themes, there’s the Kryptonian message threatening earth, which makes the public scared, so Superman turns himself in to government authorities.—
Mark Hughes,
Forbes.com,
12 July 2025
Adjective
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Through it all, the Jurassic Park franchise continued to break new ground, surprising and captivating audiences with fresh, new and unexpected developments in each installment, made all the more vivid, realistic and frightening with the latest in CGI and believable acting.—
Jan Wagner,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 July 2025
-
Perhaps most frightening of all is the fact that, in rural areas, such calamity occurs before any official help can arrive.—
Jessica Pishko,
New Yorker,
15 July 2025
Adjective
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Raids on California farms in June already left crops unharvested and farm operators fearful of more crackdowns to come.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 July 2025
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After raids on California farms in June, some crops have been left unharvested, with farm operators fearful of more crackdowns to come.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 July 2025
Adjective
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Although Indiana has not experienced an immigration raid at this scale, community leaders shared that many in migrant communities are afraid that they may potentially be picked up off the street and deported, whether rightfully or not.—
Noe Padilla,
IndyStar,
23 July 2025
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If getting this set up on your own sounds daunting, don’t be afraid to ask for help, McCoy says.—
Ryan Ermey,
CNBC,
23 July 2025
Adjective
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The Cubs were always going to be a far more formidable opponent than the Nationals and Rockies, against whom the Red Sox collected the first six of their 10-game win streak before the All-Star break.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
20 July 2025
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This year promises to be quite a battle between the two formidable opponents, as Erwin Hymer brands have previewed gorgeous new launches like the Bürstner Signature and Dethleffs E.Home Eco.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
19 July 2025
Adjective
-
Many people may be intrinsically frightened of robots.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2025
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More than 25,000 onlookers came to see the whale over the next few days, but when a thunderstorm erupted on July 5, the whale became frightened.—
Kaycee Sloan,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scary. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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