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
Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2025
Keep in mind that behind all that jealousy is usually someone who’s just scared of losing you.
—Anna Pulley, Chicago Tribune, 15 May 2025
Players known for sometimes scurrilous behavior were scared off by that lifetime ban.
—John Nogowski, Hartford Courant, 14 May 2025
The alert sound when dispensing is super jarring, and my pets were scared of it—there was no way to silence it.
—Molly Higgins, Wired News, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for scared
Adjective
No stranger to portraying morally complex men, including Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar and controversial Argentine revolutionary Che Guevara, Del Toro wasn’t scared of playing an unscrupulous businessman who’d built his fortune on exploitation.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2025
Keep in mind that behind all that jealousy is usually someone who’s just scared of losing you.
—Anna Pulley, Chicago Tribune, 15 May 2025
Players known for sometimes scurrilous behavior were scared off by that lifetime ban.
—John Nogowski, Hartford Courant, 14 May 2025
The alert sound when dispensing is super jarring, and my pets were scared of it—there was no way to silence it.
—Molly Higgins, Wired News, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for scared
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scared
Adjective
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Moreover, Rocket has a relatively new CEO who wants to dominate the mortgage industry and is not afraid of technology, previously working at Intuit, PayPal, Groupon and Microsoft.—
Kenneth Squire,
CNBC,
24 May 2025
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The youngest cast member at the time, Williams set the tone for the raw emotion the show was not afraid to show over the years.—
Jen Juneau,
People.com,
24 May 2025
Adjective
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The frightened Maltese was swimming in circles, but Desalvo and his colleagues were able to pull her to safety.—
Rebecca White,
New York Daily News,
10 May 2025
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The first few attempts to free the dog failed, then the rescuers cleverly used a tarp to hoist the frightened animal to safety.—
Kendall Malinchock,
USA Today,
9 May 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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While guest hosting Today with Jenna & Friends on Tuesday, May 20, Guthrie, 53, shared that her son Charley, 8, asked her not to come to his school's party, leaving her good friend Jenna Bush Hager, 43, shocked.—
Hannah Sacks,
People.com,
20 May 2025
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So when Green’s ex reached out, unprompted, Green was shocked.—
Megan Farokhmanesh,
Wired News,
19 May 2025
Adjective
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Burnsville officers went to Warren’s home around 9:30 a.m. after her sister called 911, explaining that Warren had called her during a fearful moment, deputies said.—
Mike Stunson,
Kansas City Star,
13 May 2025
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Without psychological safety, however, discomfort, conflict and ruthless competition can lead to a fearful workforce.—
Sanjeev Menon,
Forbes.com,
12 May 2025
Adjective
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But even legal scholars with an expansive view of executive authority have grown alarmed.—
Eric Cortellessa,
Time,
25 Apr. 2025
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Garcia, like many of us, is alarmed that these deportations aren’t just to a foreign country, but into a prison where a government official once said the only way out was in a coffin.—
Anita Chabria,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scared.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scared. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
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