Scary — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

Scary (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

1. causing fear

   "a scary movie that gave the child nightmares for weeks afterwards"

   similar: alarming, dire, direful, dread, dreadful, fearful, fearsome, forbidding, formidable, frightening, frightful, ghastly, hair-raising, horrendous, horrible, horrifying, intimidating, redoubtable, shocking, spine-chilling, terrible, terrifying
   related: daunting, demoralizing, disconcerting, discouraging, dismaying, disquieting, distressing, disturbing, perturbing, startling, threatening, troubling, trying, unnerving, bone-chilling, creepy, eerie, weird, appalling, atrocious, awful, grisly, gruesome, hideous, horrid, macabre, monstrous, nightmarish
   near: calming, comforting, consoling, inviting, lulling, pacifying, quieting, reassuring, relaxing, soothing, tranquilizing, nonintimidating, nonthreatening

2. easily frightened

   "a scary horse who spooked and kicked at its own shadow"

   similar: fainthearted, fearful, fearsome, mousy, shy, skittish, timid, timorous, tremulous
   related: chicken, chickenhearted, chicken-livered, cowardly, craven, dastardly, gutless, lily-livered, milk-livered (archaic), poltroon, pusillanimous, spineless, unheroic, yellow, jittery, jumpy, spooky, anxious, apprehensive, nervous, afraid, alarmed, horrified, panicked, panicky, panic-stricken, scared, shocked, spooked, startled, terrified, terrorized, unnerved
   opposite: adventuresome, adventurous, audacious, bold, daring, dashing, gutsy, hardy, venturesome, venturous
   near: brave, courageous, dauntless, doughty, fearless, gallant, greathearted, heroic, intrepid, lionhearted, stalwart, stout, stouthearted, undaunted, valiant, valorous, assured, confident, self-assured, self-confident, determined, firm, game, plucky, resolute, undeterred, unflinching, unswerving, mettlesome, spirited, spunky

3. filled with fear or dread

   "I got a little scary when I heard the noise in the basement"

   similar: affrighted, afraid, aghast, alarmed, fearful, frightened, horrified, horror-struck, hysterical, scared, 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