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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When people aren’t afraid to flag phishing emails, report missteps or question suspicious behavior, organizations become more adaptive and resilient.—
Aliasgar Dohadwala,
Forbes.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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According to new research from SoFi, 44% of students and parents feel uninformed about student loans but are probably too afraid to ask questions.—
Brian Walsh,
Fortune,
7 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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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
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Parents are terrified, doctors are overwhelmed, and public confidence in our nation’s health leadership has collapsed.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
4 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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Hoffman can’t help but cut me off in horrified pity.—
J. Kim Murphy,
Variety,
27 Aug. 2025
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Finding the remainder, to me, is a part of long division which left me feeling rather horrified.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
10 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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But when the news eventually came out, the rest of the family was shocked.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
4 Sep. 2025
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In 2025, the festival also celebrated new life with the unexpected birth of a baby to shocked parents.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
2 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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His promotion of conspiracy theories claiming vaccines cause autism, linking antidepressants to school shootings and even suggesting WiFi causes cancer alarmed healthcare professionals and Democratic lawmakers.—
Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
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For Salvadorans and deportees alike, what awaits inside these prisons has alarmed advocates.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scared.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scared. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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