scared

adjective

ˈskerd 

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

scared of snakes

scared to go out

Synonyms of scared

• afraid
• frightened
• terrified
• horrified
• shocked
• fearful

Examples of scared in a Sentence

I am really scared about speaking in front of the class.

He was scared that his mother wouldn't let him go to the movies with his friends.

She's scared to walk alone at night.

Recent Examples on the Web

So much of academia is scared of it. — Jon Stojan, USA Today, 25 June 2026

Everyone nowadays is very scared of talking about things. — Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 25 June 2026

Texts, screen grabs, recordings and other records recovered from a search of Rinderknecht’s cellphones and presented in court portrayed a man who was by turns lonely and livid, angry at billionaires and ex-romantic partners while seemingly scared about his own declining mental health. — Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 24 June 2026

Stickler then runs looking scared into her daughter’s bedroom, relieved to find the child there. — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 24 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing scared

• get scared
• scared/frightened the dickens
• scared stiff
• scared to death

Rhymes for scared

• compared
• declared
• despaired
• ensnared
• impaired
• prepared
• repaired
• unpaired
• unshared
• aired
• bared
• blared