ENGLISH
REFERENCE

scary

adj.
A2 Elementary Oxford US //ˈskɛɹi// UK //skˈeəɹi// scary General-service Informal

adj. causing fear or making you feel afraid. You use this to describe things like ghosts, dark rooms, or difficult situations.

adj. causing fear, alarm, or psychological distress. Often used in informal contexts to describe mildly frightening or intimidating experiences.


SIMPLE

The movie was very scary.

CONTEXTUAL

Walking home alone in the dark can be a scary experience for many people.

COMPLEX

While the initial drop on the roller coaster is undeniably scary, the adrenaline rush that follows is what keeps enthusiasts coming back for more.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

From scare + -y.

Etymology 2

From dialectal English scare (“scraggy”).

Usage

Gradable adjective; commonly modified by degree adverbs like 'very', 'really', or 'quite'.

Pitfall

I am very scary of spidersI am very scared of spidersLearners often confuse the adjective 'scary' (the thing that causes fear) with 'scared' (the feeling of the person).

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