Meaning & use
scary
Last updated
UK/ˈskeəri/
US/ˈskeri/
Meanings
adjectivecomparableinformal
Causing fear or fright.
Grammar: Before a noun or after be: a scary movie.
Patterns
- a scary movie
- be scary to do something
The forest was dark and scary at night.
That was a really scary movie.
adjectivecomparableinformal
Worrying or alarming in a serious way.
Grammar: Often about situations: a scary thought.
Patterns
- it is scary to think
It's scary to think how fast prices rose.
The doctor's news was scary.
Word forms
| comparative | scarier |
|---|---|
| superlative | scariest |
Common combinations
- pretty scary
- The ride was pretty scary.
- scary movie
- We watched a scary movie.
- scary thought
- It's a scary thought.
- scary story
- He told a scary story.
Synonyms and how they differ
- frightening
- More formal.
- creepy
- Suggests uneasy, strange fear.
- terrifying
- Much stronger.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: scary or scared?
scary vs scared
Scared describes the person afraid; scary describes what causes fear.
Practice
The children were ___ of the dark; they said the hallway was ___.
Choose one answer.
Children are scared; the hallway is scary. Scared describes feeling, scary describes the cause.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “scary”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.
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