scary

adjective

ˈsker-ē How to pronounce scary (audio)
scarier; scariest
Synonyms of scarynext
1
: causing fright : alarming
a scary story
2
: easily scared : timid
3
: feeling alarm or fright : frightened
scarily
ˈsker-ə-lē How to pronounce scary (audio)
adverb

Synonyms of scary

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Examples of scary in a Sentence

a scary movie that gave the child nightmares for weeks afterwards a scary horse who spooked and kicked at its own shadow
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
There, shortly after fully participating in a practice as if nothing ever happened, the rookie linebacker recapped the scenes from perhaps the scariest moment of his football career three days prior. — Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 22 Oct. 2026 Thanks for reading—and watching—and be safe in these crazy and often scary times. — Brian Sullivan, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026 Back then, generative AI was the exciting (and scary) new thing, and without Microsoft’s investment in compute, OpenAI wouldn’t have been able to build ChatGPT, and the industry’s trajectory might have been very different. — Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 21 Oct. 2026 Other streamers are supposed to run only age-appropriate ads, but some parents have reported scary or mature ads popping up on kids’ stuff. — Emily Palmer Heller, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for scary

Word History

First Known Use

1582, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of scary was in 1582

Rhymes for scary

See All Rhymes for scary

Browse Nearby Words

scarved
scary
scat
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Cite this Entry

“Scary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scary. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Kids Definition

scary

adjective
ˈske(ə)r-ē How to pronounce scary (audio)
ˈska(ə)r-
scarier; scariest
1
: causing fright : alarming
a scary movie
2
: easily scared : timid
3
: feeling alarm or fright : scared, frightened
scary feeling
scarily
-ə-lē How to pronounce scary (audio)
adverb
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