scary

[ skair-ee ]

adjective

, scar·i·er, scar·i·est.

1. causing fright or alarm.
2. easily frightened; timid.

scary

/ ˈskɛərɪ /

adjective

1. causing fear or alarm; frightening
2. easily roused to fear; timid

Word History and Origins

Origin of scary¹

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

Example Sentences

“The thrill of ‘A Quiet Place’ was how can we tell a scary, emotionally resonant story without any dialogue whatsoever.

From Los Angeles Times

Though I am often an avoider of scary films, Eggers’ impressive command of the medium, his delicately shocking sensibility and his determination to get maximum effect with minimal explicitness has won me over.

From Los Angeles Times

Another factor is “just having extreme social anxiety for a long, long time. People were fascinating to me, but also scary. I would kind of clam up around people because my brain would short-circuit.”

From Los Angeles Times

And for Austin Reaves, it was soreness from a scary fall Friday that made standing even a bit of a dicey situation.

From Los Angeles Times

"It was very scary, you could hear it rumbling and collapsing when it was happening," he said.

From BBC

Related Words

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