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scared 1 of 2

adjective

ˈskerd How to pronounce scared (audio)
Definition of scarednext
as in afraid
filled with fear or dread at the sight of the grizzly bear he froze, being too scared to even run away

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

scared

2 of 2

verb

past tense of scare
as in frightened
to strike with fear thunderstorms have always scared her

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of scared
Adjective
And teachers, like Imbus, are scared to speak out on it for fear of making their employer, the district, look bad. — Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 30 Aug. 2026 The study, published in the journal iScience, found that the pets process happy, scared, and angry emotions differently and that dogs can interpret differences between negative emotions, such as fear and sadness or fear and anger. — Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 28 Aug. 2026
Verb
The devastation scared off tourists, despite many other parts of Los Angeles' West Side remaining open. — Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 16 Aug. 2026 The approaching boat scared the alligator away, but Spann had suffered catastrophic injuries. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for scared
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scared
  1. afraid
  2. frightened
  3. terrified
  4. startled
  5. horrified
  6. shocked
  7. fearful
Adjective
  • The Florida International University senior struggled to attend classes and stopped driving – afraid something bad would happen.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2026
  • The 6-foot-6, 238-pounder is basically a gigantic receiver who isn’t afraid to put his hand in the dirt and block.
    — Nick Baumgardner, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of afraid
Verb
  • Her mount, meanwhile, is frightened by lightning and runs off.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The rising cost of health care has frightened many people, including those with health insurance.
    — Cara Kelly, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of frightened
Adjective
  • Instead, coaches have become more and more terrified through the years of seeing their players getting hurt during largely meaningless games in August.
    — Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Tempe police ultimately convinced the couple, who were initially too terrified to report the incident, to share what had happened to them, documents said.
    — Perry Vandell, AZCentral.com, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of terrified
Verb
  • Their approach startled the predator, who took off with the mother godwit in its claws.
    — Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
  • While holding Gnocchi, a large street cleaning truck whipped down the street and startled him into clawing away.
    — Emily Tarinelli, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of startled
Adjective
  • When Tae-ha starts a fire that erupts into an explosion, a horrified Eun-sae begins to remember her life before amnesia.
    — Kayti Burt, Time, 7 Aug. 2026
  • In one early scene, a horrified Pam stares into her bathroom mirror, covered head to toe in blood.
    — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 13 July 2026
Definition of horrified
Adjective
  • The man who was shocked was taken to Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan with life-threatening injuries.
    — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • But something fascinating was happening behind the scenes, coinciding with the disaster that had sent Olin overseas and left her bandmates, Augustin and Nathan Slone — located in New York City — shocked.
    — Julius Miller, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of shocked
Adjective
  • This lack of awareness was on show in 2025, when, fearful of a trade war, Brussels squandered its own leverage and signed off on a lopsided framework with Washington.
    — JONAS NAHM, Foreign Affairs, 14 Sep. 2026
  • The production’s creative team, led by the inexhaustibly inventive director José Luis Valenzuela, returns us to a world where the dead are owed sacred duties and the living are fearful to renege on this basic human responsibility.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of fearful

Browse Nearby Words

scare
scared
scared up
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Cite this Entry

“Scared.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scared. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

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