Scared — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective verb /ˈskerd/

Meaning & Definition of Scared

Scared (adjective)

  1. thrown into or being in a state of fear, fright, or panic

Scared (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. filled with fear or dread

    "at the sight of the grizzly bear he froze, being too scared to even run away"

    similar: affrighted, afraid, aghast, alarmed, fearful, frightened, horrified, horror-struck, hysterical, scary, shocked, spooked, terrified, terrorized
    related: chicken, fainthearted, fearsome, shrinking, shy, timid, timorous, tremulant, tremulous, agitated, anxious, apprehensive, disconcerted, disquieted, disturbed, funky, jittery, jumpy, nervous, panicked, panicky, panic-stricken, perturbed, skittish, uneasy, upset, worried, phobic, appalled, dismayed, startled, cowed, daunted, intimidated, unnerved, coward, cowardly, craven, gutless, lily-livered, pusillanimous, careful, cautious, heedful, prudent, unadventurous, wary
    opposite: fearless, unafraid
    near: adventuresome, adventurous, audacious, bold, daredevil, daring, dashing, gutsy, plucky, spirited, spunky, venturesome, venturous, brave, courageous, gallant, hardy, heroic, intrepid, lionhearted, manful, stalwart, stout, stouthearted, valiant, valorous, assured, collected, composed, confident, cool, sanguine, sure, unperturbed, dauntless, resolute, undaunted

Scared (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to strike with fear

    "thunderstorms have always scared her"

    similar: affrighted, alarmed, frighted, frightened, horrified, panicked, scarified, shocked, spooked, startled, terrified, terrorized, gave one the creeps, made one's flesh creep
    related: appalled, bowled over, dismayed, floored, jolted, shook, shook up, amazed, astounded, awed, chilled, daunted, demoralized, dispirited, emasculated, psyched (out), undid, unmanned, unnerved, unstrung, discomforted, discomposed, disconcerted, disquieted, distracted, distressed, disturbed, perturbed, unsettled, upset, worried
    opposite: reassured
    near: assured, cheered, comforted, consoled, solaced, soothed, emboldened, encouraged, heartened, inspired, steeled

Related Entry: Scare (verb)

Scare is a different word from Scared. The synonyms below are for scare, not for scared.

  1. to strike with fear

    "thunderstorms have always scared her"

    similar: affright, alarm, fright, frighten, horrify, panic, scarify, shock, spook, startle, terrify, terrorize, give one the creeps, make one's flesh creep
    related: appall, bowl over, dismay, floor, jolt, shake, shake up, amaze, astound, awe, chill, daunt, demoralize, dispirit, emasculate, psych (out), undo, unman, unnerve, unstring, discomfort, discompose, disconcert, disquiet, distract, distress, disturb, perturb, unsettle, upset, worry
    opposite: reassure
    near: assure, cheer, comfort, console, solace, soothe, embolden, encourage, hearten, inspire, steel

Related Entry: Scared up (verb)

Scared up is a different word from Scared. The synonyms below are for scared up, not for scared.

  1. to come upon after searching, study, or effort

    "I can probably scare up my old textbooks if you need them"

    similar: ascertained, descried, detected, determined, discovered, dredged (up), dug out, dug up, ferreted (out), found, found out, got, hit (on or upon), hunted (down or up), learned, located, nosed out, ran down, rooted (out), routed (out), rummaged, scouted (up), tracked (down), turned up
    related: espied, sighted, spotted, looked for, searched (for or out), sought
    opposite: missed, overlooked, passed over
    near: lost, mislaid, misplaced, misset

Related Entry: Scare up (verb)

Scare up is a different word from Scared. The synonyms below are for scare up, not for scared.

  1. to come upon after searching, study, or effort

    "I can probably scare up my old textbooks if you need them"

    similar: ascertain, descry, detect, determine, dig out, dig up, discover, dredge (up), ferret (out), find, find out, get, hit (on or upon), hunt (down or up), learn, locate, nose out, root (out), rout (out), rummage, run down, scout (up), track (down), turn up
    related: espy, sight, spot, look for, search (for or out), seek
    opposite: miss, overlook, pass over
    near: lose, mislay, misplace, misset

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Scared

The most common words with a similar meaning to Scared:

affrighted, afraid, aghast, alarmed, fearful, frightened, horrified, horror-struck, hysterical, scary, shocked, spooked, terrified, terrorized, frighted, panicked, scarified, startled, gave one the creeps, made one's flesh creep

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Scared

Words with the opposite meaning of Scared:

fearless, unafraid, reassured

Related Words for Scared

chicken, fainthearted, fearsome, shrinking, shy, timid, timorous, tremulant, tremulous, agitated, anxious, apprehensive, disconcerted, disquieted, disturbed, funky, jittery, jumpy, nervous, panicky, panic-stricken, perturbed, skittish, uneasy, upset, worried, phobic, appalled, dismayed, cowed

Near Antonyms of Scared

adventuresome, adventurous, audacious, bold, daredevil, daring, dashing, gutsy, plucky, spirited, spunky, venturesome, venturous, brave, courageous, gallant, hardy, heroic, intrepid, lionhearted, manful, stalwart, stout, stouthearted, valiant, valorous, assured, collected, composed, confident

Origin & Etymology of Scared

First known use: 1579

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Scared

Words & Phrases Containing Scared

scared stiff, scared to death, get scared

Frequently Asked Questions about Scared

What does "Scared" mean?

"Scared" means thrown into or being in a state of fear, fright, or panic. As an an adjective and a verb, it is defined as: thrown into or being in a state of fear, fright, or panic. It has 2 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Scared"?

Other words for "Scared" include affrighted, afraid, aghast, alarmed, fearful, frightened, horrified and horror-struck. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Scared" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Scared"?

There are 86 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Scared". Common alternatives include affrighted, afraid, aghast, alarmed, fearful, frightened, horrified, horror-struck, hysterical and scary.

What is the opposite of "Scared"?

Antonyms of "Scared" include fearless, unafraid and reassured. Near antonyms include adventuresome, adventurous, audacious and bold.

How do you use "Scared" in a sentence?

Examples of "Scared" in a sentence: "at the sight of the grizzly bear he froze, being too scared to even run away"; "thunderstorms have always scared her".

Is "Scared" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Scared" can be used as an adjective and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Scared" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A2-level word, "Scared" is typical of Cambridge A2 Key (KET), PTE Academic 30–42, TOEIC Listening & Reading 225+.

How do you pronounce "Scared"?

"Scared" is pronounced /ˈskerd/.