scared

scared — adjective

1. feeling fear or worry about a particular person, thing, or situation

1.adjectiveA2
Definition

feeling fear or worry about a particular person, thing, or situation

Example

Sirin was scared of the dark, so her brother stayed with her until morning.

be scared of + noun phrase

Abigail felt too scared to ride her bike on the main road.

too scared to + verb (infinitive of purpose)

Common collocations
  • scared of
  • scared to
  • scared that
  • look scared
  • feel scared
  • get scared
  • really scared
  • a bit scared
  • too scared
Synonyms
  • afraid

    more formal and slightly broader; also usable before nouns ('an afraid child' is rare; 'afraid' mostly follows verbs like 'be' and 'feel')

  • frightened

    close synonym; often used for a sudden, short-term fear rather than a lasting worry

  • terrified

    much stronger emotion — means extremely scared, almost panicked

Antonyms
  • brave

    opposite quality — a brave person does not feel scared easily

  • calm

    opposite emotional state — feeling peaceful rather than scared

Grammar Patterns

be / feel / look / seem scared

be scared of someone / something

be scared of doing something

be scared to do something

be scared that + clause

Usage Note

Unlike 'afraid', 'scared' is not used directly before a noun (❌ 'a scared child' is acceptable in informal speech but less common than 'a frightened child'). The word typically follows a linking verb such as 'be', 'feel', 'look', or 'seem'.

Common Mistakes

I am scared from spiders.
I am scared of spiders.
'scared' takes 'of', not 'from', when naming the cause of fear.
He was scared about to fall.
He was scared of falling / scared to fall.
use 'of + gerund' or 'to-infinitive', not 'about to'.
Idioms

be scared/bored witless

idiom

To be extremely frightened or extremely bored.

The little boy was scared witless by the thunderstorm.

During the long lecture, the students were bored witless.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four describe a feeling of fear, but they differ in intensity and typical use. 'Afraid' is the most neutral and can express mild worry ('I am afraid I cannot come') — it also works as a polite hesitation marker. 'Scared' is more direct and emotional, common in everyday speech about immediate threats. 'Frightened' often describes a sudden shock or a reaction to something specific, like a loud noise. 'Terrified' is much stronger — it means extremely scared, almost unable to act. 'Alarmed' suggests a sudden awareness of danger, often with a need to respond quickly. For example: 'She was scared of flying but not terrified; the loud bang during takeoff frightened her, and she felt alarmed when the seatbelt sign stayed on.'

afraid ↗frightened ↗terrified ↗alarmed ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • scared of
  • scared to
  • scared that
  • scared stiff
  • scared to death

Prepositions

Etymology

Old NorseMiddle EnglishModern English

'Scared' comes from the Middle English word 'skerren', meaning 'to frighten', which was borrowed from Old Norse 'skirra' (to shrink from or avoid). The word entered English through contact with Scandinavian settlers in northern England. Over time, the sense shifted from the cause ('scare' as a verb meaning 'to frighten') to the resulting feeling ('scared' as an adjective).