as in afraid
filled with fear or dread
at the sight of the grizzly bear he froze, being too scared to even run away
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in frightened
to strike with fear
thunderstorms have always scared her
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scared
James Folta, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
Slurp scares, and is scared, at the Haunted Hacienda in Pilgrim World.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025
Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 31 Aug. 2025
But all the violence and gore scared off most distributors, so the film—starring Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) in the title role—has been languishing in the vault for much of the last two years.
—Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scared
Adjective
More broadly, this instinctive punching left at anything that smacks of gender, or academics, or whatever else the center is scared of, is never about language.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
Slurp scares, and is scared, at the Haunted Hacienda in Pilgrim World.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
Unlike a year ago, CSU (0-1) walked away from a road opener at a Power 4 school with heads held reasonably high, having scared a rabid Huskies crowd half to death for three quarters.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 31 Aug. 2025
But all the violence and gore scared off most distributors, so the film—starring Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones) in the title role—has been languishing in the vault for much of the last two years.
—Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 25 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scared
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scared
Adjective
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Beck has a fluid, quick throwing motion and isn’t afraid to fit the ball into tight windows.—
Dane Brugler,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
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Luckily, the 2025 Emmys shows us that, now more than ever, men aren’t afraid to show a little personality in their red carpet looks.—
Brett F. Braley-Palko,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Family pets, especially dogs, are frightened by the noise and will hide or try to run away.—
Phil Diehl,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Aug. 2025
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In the first Nobody, Odenkirk’s Hutch has to reignite the sleeping assassin within himself after his family was frightened by a botched home invasion.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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In a recent video posted to the AI Bible's Youtube channel, buildings crumble and terrified-looking people claw their way through the rubble.—
Geoff Brumfiel,
NPR,
7 Sep. 2025
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Ed and Lorraine are the beautiful, tragic saviors of a terrified family confronted with a deep evil, strengthened by the power of their love for each other.—
Emily Palmer Heller,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Seagulls lift off the beach, startled by the sudden salty cacophony.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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While some dogs are more confident, others may become easily startled by noises, objects, or movements that appear harmless to humans.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The Prime Video series ends with a horrified Daniel looking at Cherry, who's shown smiling at him with her hands calmly resting on very pregnant belly.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Sep. 2025
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Hoffman can’t help but cut me off in horrified pity.—
J. Kim Murphy,
Variety,
27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Inside the West Wing, staff sat in shocked silence, scrolling to see the latest updates of news on their phones and messages on their computer screens.—
Eric Cortellessa,
Time,
11 Sep. 2025
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Lauryn was seen crying and seemingly shocked.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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And yet, from the beginning, the only people more fearful than Putin of American intervention were Americans.—
Robert Kagan,
The Atlantic,
10 Sep. 2025
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According to one survey, about half of those age 61 and older are fearful of what changes in tariffs will do to their retirement savings or retirement income.—
Susan Tompor,
USA Today,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Parents will be especially alarmed and this will place terrible burdens on pediatricians who will need to assuage their worries in order to provide important protections against serious and sometimes fatal diseases.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
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That move alarmed Israeli officials who question the motives of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda commander.—
Gram Slattery,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scared.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scared. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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