scary

Word family

Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++scar·y, scarey /ˈskeəri $ ˈskeri/ S1 adjective (comparative scarier, superlative scariest) informal FRIGHTENEDfrightening 可怕的，骇人的，恐怖的 a scary moment 恐怖的一刻 a scary movie 恐怖片 The book is both scary and funny. 这本书既恐怖又有趣。► see thesaurus at frightening

Examples from the Corpus

scary• The stars and the street lights stopped it being too dark, but it was still pretty scary.• I don't regret my decision to start a new life, in a new country. It's scary, but it's also really exciting.• Yet the commercial is based on speculation that is indeed scary but not unjustified.• I had a really scary dream last night.• She didn't like the film. It was too scary for her.• It really was scary - I kid you not.• While this may seem scary, it is the only way to get her stepfather to stop what he is doing.• a big scary monster• What our deep-seated fears say, of course, can be even scarier than the stories themselves.

scar·y adjectiveChineseSyllable

Corpus frightening

scary
scar‧y

, scarey /ˈskeəri $ ˈskeri/ adjective (comparative scarier, superlative scariest) informal

Word Family: adjective: scared, scary; verb: scare; noun: scare

frightening:

a scary moment

a scary movie

The book is both scary and funny.

THESAURUS

   ▪ frightening making you feel frightened: Being held at gunpoint had been the most frightening moment of his life. | The experience was very frightening.
   ▪ scary especially spoken frightening. Scary is less formal than frightening and is very common in everyday English: The movie was really scary. | There were some scary moments.
   ▪ chilling frightening, especially because violence, cruelty, or danger is involved: a chilling tale of revenge, murder and madness | The court heard chilling details about the attack.
   ▪ spooky frightening and strange, especially because something involves ghosts or powers that people do not understand: The forest is really spooky in the dark. | a spooky coincidence | spooky stories
   ▪ creepy informal frightening in a way that makes you feel nervous, especially when you are not sure exactly why – used especially about places, people, and feelings: This place is really creepy. Let’s get out of here. | a creepy guy | Do you know that creepy feeling when you're sure someone’s there but you can’t see or hear anything?
   ▪ eerie especially literary strange and frightening: There was an eerie silence immediately after the bomb went off. | an eerie light | an eerie feeling
   ▪ intimidating making you feel frightened, nervous, or lacking in confidence: Big schools can be an intimidating place for young children. | Giving evidence in court is often a rather intimidating experience. | the intimidating presence of a large number of soldiers
   ▪ menacing frightening because you think someone is going to hurt you, even though they have not said or done anything violent – used especially about someone’s expression or voice: The woman had a very menacing look. | ‘I’d like to have a word with you outside,’ he said in a menacing tone.

scary

BrE

/ˈskeəri/

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NAmE

/ˈskeri/

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adjective

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scari·er

scari·est

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