Scary and Terrifying

Scary

Scary adjective - Causing fear.
Usage example: a scary movie that gave the child nightmares for weeks afterwards

Terrifying is a synonym for scary in participle topic. In some cases you can use "Terrifying" instead an adjective "Scary", when it comes to topics like frightening. popular alternative

Nearby Words: scare, scar, scared, scaring

Terrifying

Terrifying adjective - Causing fear.
Usage example: heard a terrifying noise coming from the next room

Scary is a synonym for terrifying in frightening topic. You can use "Scary" instead an adjective "Terrifying". popular alternative

Nearby Words: terrify, terrified

Both words in one sentence

  • What is creepy in the anime is often scary or terrifying in the manga where you sometimes almost don't dare to turn to the next page.
  • Nightmare Fuel / Video Games What brings this game into Nightmare Fuel territory is its own Multiple Endings, which are considered by many in being very scary and terrifying when it comes to arcade game endings.
  • Film / The Devil Rides Out Scary Black Man: The first Devilish creature to confront them takes the form of a (rather terrifying) black man, and one of the members of the cult is a frightening-looking black male.
Cite this Source
Terrifying and Scary. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 21, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/scary/terrifying
Scary & Terrifying. N.p., 2016. Web. 21 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/scary/terrifying>.
Terrifying or Scary. 2016. Accessed July 21, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/scary/terrifying.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "scary" and "terrifying" have occurred on timeline