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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scared
Tim Reid, Christian Science Monitor, 17 June 2025
My two children are scared and cannot sleep at night because of the sound of air defence and attacks, explosions.
—Alexander Cornwell, USA Today, 17 June 2025
So be prepared, not scared, and have your situational awareness of security.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 17 June 2025
The chandelier came down in Sin City at such a breakneck speed, audiences were scared out of their wits.
—Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 15 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for scared
Adjective
His street vendor customers are at home in hiding, while restaurant workers are too scared to travel to the market to pick up supplies.
—Tim Reid, Christian Science Monitor, 17 June 2025
My two children are scared and cannot sleep at night because of the sound of air defence and attacks, explosions.
—Alexander Cornwell, USA Today, 17 June 2025
So be prepared, not scared, and have your situational awareness of security.
—Julia Bonavita, FOXNews.com, 17 June 2025
The chandelier came down in Sin City at such a breakneck speed, audiences were scared out of their wits.
—Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 15 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for scared
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scared
Adjective
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Keep checking in with yourself, stay curious, and don’t be afraid to pivot.—
Sho Dewan,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
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Sydney Sweeney was not afraid to pull punches when playing real-life Christy Martin in the upcoming biopic about the boxer, which wrapped production last November.—
Rance Collins,
IndieWire,
28 June 2025
Adjective
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Instead, federal authorities are hiding, apparently too frightened of online provocateurs and in-person hecklers to do their duty in plain sight.—
Anita Chabria,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2025
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Others who live close to the jail were downright frightened.—
Chris Kenning,
USA Today,
17 June 2025
Verb
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The movie sees the revival of arch-villain Feathers McGraw, who terrified kids in 1993’s The Wrong Trousers.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
23 Dec. 2024
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My Hugo would chase it and bark at it, or he'd be terrified.—
Benedict Cosgrove,
Newsweek,
20 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Feel that stretch in your shoulders, and in your capacity to still be shocked, six months into Trump’s second term.—
Jena Friedman,
New Yorker,
25 June 2025
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Matlin appears shocked but somewhat timid when Hurt, who presented her with the award after winning the previous year's Best Actor statue for Kiss of the Spider Woman, calls and then signs her name.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
23 June 2025
Adjective
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Fed officials have been reluctant to move, fearful that tariffs Trump implemented this year could cause inflation in the coming months.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
18 June 2025
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The law was blocked by a judge, but Martinez said some workers and companies are still hesitant and fearful of enforcement.—
Carolyn Komatsoulis,
Idaho Statesman,
18 June 2025
Adjective
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Inheriting the mantle from Pope Francis, who grew increasingly alarmed by AI's societal risks, Leo is pressing for stronger global governance and ethical oversight of the technology.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
19 June 2025
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That’s what has safety advocates like O’Dowd so alarmed.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
9 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scared.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scared. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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