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
Vic Tafur, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Show up authentically and don’t be scared to fail.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 2 Oct. 2025
Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2025
The group, which features members all wearing terrifying masks — something that delighted millions of fans at the turn of the millennium and scared plenty of others — is back on the Billboard charts, not with new music, but with the full-length that started it all.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scared
Adjective
And the 49ers are not scared of Stafford trying to pick on Stout.
—Vic Tafur, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Show up authentically and don’t be scared to fail.
—Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 2 Oct. 2025
Verb
Immigration raids have hurt major growing areas, leaving crops unharvested at California farms and scared off workers at dairy farms in New York and other states.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2025
The group, which features members all wearing terrifying masks — something that delighted millions of fans at the turn of the millennium and scared plenty of others — is back on the Billboard charts, not with new music, but with the full-length that started it all.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scared
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scared
Adjective
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For its part, Beijing remained defiant, with the commerce ministry saying Sunday that China doesn’t want a tariff war but is also not afraid of one.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
13 Oct. 2025
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Those in the fanbase who wanted Lewis gone four weeks ago are now afraid to lose him.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Surveys have shown that lawsuit ads have frightened people away from taking prescribed medications for serious conditions ranging from diabetes to depression.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
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Like the Earth sign, the righteous dog detective Scooby doesn't appreciate confrontation and gets frightened in scary situations.—
Lisa Stardust,
PEOPLE,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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For all of her can-do spirit and bravado, she is guarded, wary, terrified of being vulnerable.—
Sarah Chamberlain,
PEOPLE,
10 Oct. 2025
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Shoehorning in minutes for other quality forwards Naji Marshall, Caleb Martin and Klay Thompson (a theoretical shooting guard, but one whose coaches are terrified to have guard opposing wings) only gets more difficult.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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First baseman Michael Toglia covered his head, too, and was startled when the ball landed a few feet from him.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
28 Sep. 2025
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Sleep may be disturbed by a pet's movements, and dogs may bite if startled.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The massacre was instantly infamous — as much a source of horror as of horrified fascination by the public.—
Susan Young,
PEOPLE,
10 Oct. 2025
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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
Adjective
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The shocked look on Byrne’s face, captured in one take, is genuine.—
Matthew Jacobs,
Vulture,
10 Oct. 2025
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Lewis and Picardo collapsed into tears, and Candy’s family was shocked.—
Makena Gera,
PEOPLE,
10 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Hollywood these days feels really fearful of enflaming conservative ire.—
David Amsden,
Rolling Stone,
7 Oct. 2025
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As one of us found in a project involving more than 300 board directors, not only are AI pilots not sure to deliver, but employees, fearful of AI, don’t take advantage of its potential, and AI projects don’t address the way organizations work and add value.—
Harvard Business Review,
Harvard Business Review,
7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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When the bear didn’t even slow, Steve was alarmed.—
Marguerite Reiss,
Outdoor Life,
9 Oct. 2025
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But fans were alarmed this week when one of Parton’s 11 siblings, Freida, posted on Facebook asking for prayers for her superstar sister.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
8 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scared.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scared. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.
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