English · Word Candidate

scary

/ˈskɛə.ɹi/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: scarier · scariest

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Causing fear or anxiety

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Gây ra nỗi sợ hãi hoặc lo lắng

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

AdjectiveRegister: informal

Examples

The tiger's jaws were scary.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Uncannily striking or surprising.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Đáng ngạc nhiên một cách kỳ lạ

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

AdjectiveRegister: informal

Examples

Linda changed her hair, and it’s scary how much she looks like her mother.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To a scary extent; scarily.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Đến mức đáng sợ

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

AdverbRegister: informal

Examples

At 199 centimetres and a hundred kilos going up, he was scary big and he found work as a bouncer and enforcer[.]

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 4

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

Barren land having only a thin coat of grass.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

đất cằn cỗi chỉ có lớp cỏ mỏng

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Noun

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “scary” mean?

Causing fear or anxiety

Is “scary” formal or informal?

scary is generally informal.