ENGLISH
REFERENCE

scaring

adj.
B1 Intermediate US //ˈskɛɹɪŋ// UK //skˈeəɹɪŋ// scar·ing

adj. causing a feeling of fear or worry.

adj. causing fear, alarm, or anxiety in others. Often used as a participial adjective to describe an experience or person.


SIMPLE

The movie has some very scaring scenes.

CONTEXTUAL

The sudden drop in the stock market was a scaring experience for many first-time investors.

COMPLEX

While some find the silence of the deep woods peaceful, others find the lack of human noise quite scaring, especially as the sun begins to set.

Synonyms
Usage

Often used as a participial adjective; can be used both before a noun and after a linking verb.

Pitfall

I am very scaring of spiders.I am very scared of spiders.Learners often confuse the -ing form (the cause of the fear) with the -ed form (the person feeling the fear).

© 2026 English Reference