# scary

Pronunciation: say "SKAIR-ee" US/UK /ˈskɛə.ɹi/, AUS /ˈskeːɹi/

## Adjective

1. Causing fear or anxiety in someone. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Making someone feel afraid or worried.
   - _The old house had a scary feel, with creaking floors and long shadows._
   - _Public speaking can be scary even for seasoned professionals._
2. Uncannily striking or surprising, impressive to an almost unsettling degree. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: So good or surprising that it almost seems strange.
   - _The accuracy of his predictions this season was honestly scary._
   - _She has a scary talent for guessing what people are about to say._
3. Prone to sudden alarm; easily frightened by unexpected things. *(colloquial, US)*
   - Simple: Easily scared and quick to feel afraid of sudden things.
   - _The mare is too scary to ride near busy traffic._
   - _He's a scary sort, flinching at every unexpected knock on the door._

## Adverb

4. To a degree that is frightening or strikingly surprising. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To a frightening or surprising degree.
   - _The deadline came up scary quick this year._
   - _The storm grew scary strong within minutes._

## Noun

5. Barren ground bearing only a thin covering of grass.
   - Simple: Poor land covered with only a thin layer of grass.
   - _The farmer's northern fields were mostly scary, good for little but rough grazing._
   - _They drove the cattle off the thin scary toward better pasture._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–4** — Formed from "scare" combined with the suffix "-y".
**Meaning 5** — From the dialectal English word "scare", meaning "scraggy".

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/scary (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).