Synonyms of scares

scares

verb

present tense third-person singular of scare

as in frightens

to strike with fear

thunderstorms have always scared her

Synonyms & Similar Words

• frightens
• terrifies
• startles
• spooks
• shocks
• horrifies
• frights
• terrorizes
• panics
• shakes
• alarms
• scarifies
• affrights
• gives one the creeps
• amazes
• appalls
• worries
• distracts
• dismays
• makes one's flesh creep
• jolts
• astounds
• awes
• shakes up
• unsettles
• daunts
• unnerves
• disturbs
• bowls over
• upsets
• disquiets
• emasculates
• distresses
• disconcerts
• perturbs
• floors
• dispirits
• demoralizes
• discomforts
• chills
• undoes
• unstrings
• psychs (out)
• unmans
• discomposes

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• reassures
• assures
• cheers
• comforts
• soothes
• encourages
• inspires
• consoles
• emboldens
• solaces
• heartens
• steels

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of scares

Don’t be afraid to volunteer for a responsibility that scares you a little. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 29 July 2026

Donor turnout hit by heat, health scares The only time the Red Cross previously declared a national blood crisis was in January 2022. — Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 29 July 2026

The company will need to regain customers' trust, just as other restaurants like McDonald's, Wendy's and Chipotle have had to in the past after health scares. — Laya Neelakandan, CNBC, 17 July 2026

As horror franchises evolve across installments, there’s a natural tendency for the creatives behind them to overthink things and get a bit too lost in the sauce of mythos and worldbuilding and topping themselves with bigger, juicier scares. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 10 July 2026

What scares many of them is the loss of predictability, the sense of no longer recognizing their own reactions. — Dr. Sarah Berg, Time, 9 July 2026

Many suggested that Murray's desire for a massive extension scares them. — Alec Lewis, New York Times, 8 July 2026

Cruises have hit the headlines for this year, from Hantavirus scares to a norovirus outbreak that authorities in Bordeaux to deny anyone disembarkation from an Ambassador Cruise Line ship in May. — Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 6 July 2026

All that stuff scares me so much – Facebook or social media, Twitter, whatever. — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 4 July 2026