Synonyms

scared

American

[skaird] / skɛərd /

adjective

filled with fear, terror, or dread, often suddenly; frightened; alarmed.

The doctor provided not only physical treatment but also moral guidance for scared patients with terminal diagnoses.
I came into college as a scared freshman and left as a confident, competent adult.

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of scare.

Other Word Forms

unscared adjective

Etymology

Origin of scared

scare ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“People are really scared,” said a retired oil executive who packed his bags and fled for his villa on the Caspian Sea after watching missiles flying over Tehran.

From The Wall Street Journal

“Now as a Dubai resident, I am scared and at a loss for words.”

From The Wall Street Journal

He recalls Wilson looking like a “scared rabbit” when he walked into the studio to find some of the session musicians who’d worked with the Beach Boys back in the old days.

From Los Angeles Times

"Ibrahima was scared to go outside. He would look out the window to make sure there were no people," his mother said.

From BBC

Once they heard the rappings answer questions, these solid, working folk were deeply shaken, some so scared they fled the house.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023