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Frighten vs Scary - What's the difference?

frighten | scary |

As a verb frighten

is to disturb with fear; to throw into a state of alarm or fright; to affright; to terrify.

As an adjective scary is

causing or able to cause fright.

As a noun scary is

barren land having only a thin coat of grass.

frighten

English

Verb

(en verb)
  • To disturb with fear; to throw into a state of alarm or fright; to affright; to terrify.

    • Synonyms

    * See also

    scary

    English

    Etymology 1

    Adjective

    (er)
  • Causing or able to cause fright
    • The tiger's jaws were scary.
    She was hiding behind her pillow during the scary parts of the film.
  • (US, colloquial, dated) Subject to sudden alarm; nervous, jumpy.
    • (Whittier)
  • * 1916 , Texas Department of Agriculture, Bulletin (issues 47-57), page 150:
    • And let us say to these interests that, until the Buy-It-Made-In-Texas movement co-operates with the farmers, we are going to be a little scary of the snare.
    Synonyms
    * (causing fright) frightening

    Etymology 2

    From dialectal English .

    Noun

  • Barren land having only a thin coat of grass.

    • Anagrams

    * *