- "Scarred" means having a mark on the skin from a healed injury or having emotional or psychological damage resulting from a past experience.
- "Scared" means feeling fear in response to a threat or danger.
👨🎤 Her face was scarred from the fire.
😱 I'm scared of spiders, heights, and horror movies.
What's the difference between "scared" and "scarred"?
"Scarred" and "scared" may look similar, but they have very different meanings. If someone is "scarred," they have a mark or lasting damage from an injury. If someone is "scared," they feel frightened.
What does it mean to be "scarred"?
"Scarred" is an adjective that means having a scar or lasting damage. You can be physically scarred if you cut your knee and it leaves a mark. Or you can be emotionally or psychologically scarred from bad past experiences.
"Scarred" can also be used as the past tense form of the verb "scar," as in "The tragedy scarred him."
Common phrases using "scarred"
- Emotionally scarred: Referring to the psychological impact of a traumatic experience.
- Permanently scarred: Describing a lasting or enduring effect, often used in both physical and emotional contexts.
- Battle-scarred: Typically used to describe someone or something that has endured the hardships of conflict or struggle.
- Scarred for life: Expressing a profound and enduring impact, usually in the emotional or psychological sense.
- Scarred memories: Describing lasting and impactful memories, often associated with challenging or traumatic experiences.
- Scarred landscape: Referring to an area that bears visible marks of damage, alteration, or destruction.
What does "scared" mean?
"Scared" is an adjective that describes a state of feeling fear or apprehension. When someone is scared, they experience a sense of unease, anxiety, or nervousness in response to a perceived threat, danger, or something that causes distress. It is a common emotion for situations that are harmful or unpleasant.
"Scared" can also be the past tense form of the verb "scare," as in "He scared me when he jumped out from behind the door."
Common phrases using "scared"
- Scaredy-cat: A playful term used to describe someone who is easily scared or afraid.
- Scaredy-pants: Another playful term for someone who is easily scared.
- Scared stiff: Completely paralyzed or frozen with fear.
- Scared to death: Extremely frightened, often used hyperbolically to emphasize fear.
- Scared out of one's wits: Extremely frightened or terrified.
- Scared silly: Extremely frightened to the point of feeling foolish or absurd.
- Scared senseless: Terrified or frightened to the point of losing one's usual sense of awareness or rationality.
- Scared half to death: Extremely frightened, emphasizing the intensity of fear.
Is it "scared" or "scarred" for life?
The correct expression is "scarred for life," which is a figurative way of saying that someone has been deeply affected by an experience in a way that will have a lasting impact on them, possibly for the rest of their life.
The use of "scarred" and "scared" over time
The Ngram graph below shows how often "scarred" and "scared" have been used from the 1800s to the 2000s. Overall, "scared" has been used more frequently, and it's seen a dramatic increase in use in the last 30 years, while "scarred" is not used as much.
How do we pronounce "scarred" vs. "scared"?
"Scarred" in American English is pronounced like "skaard," rhyming with "card." In British English, "scarred" is pronounced without the "r" like "skaad."
"Scared" in American English is pronounced like "skehrd," rhyming with "cared." In British English, "scared" is pronounced without the "r" like "skeuhd."
These are just the standard pronunciations, and there may be slight variations depending on regional accents and individual speech patterns.
Example sentences of "scarred"
- Despite her cheerful demeanor, she bore the hidden pain of a scarred past.
- The abandoned building stood as a scarred reminder of the neighborhood's decline.
- His once-smooth skin was now scarred with the marks of a challenging journey.
- The accident left her permanently scarred, but she was resilient.
- The forest showed signs of a scarred landscape recovering slowly after a wildfire.
- The survivor's story was one of triumph over a scarred history of abuse.
- The old book was scarred by years of use, its pages worn and stained.
- The documentary explored the lives of individuals who were scarred by addiction.
- Time had passed, but the memories of the tragedy remained scarred in their minds.
- The once vibrant city was now scarred by the aftermath of a natural disaster.
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Example sentences of "scared"
- The loud noise in the dark alley made her jump, realizing how easily she could be scared.
- He admitted feeling scared before the big presentation, despite his confident exterior.
- The unexpected encounter with a wild animal left the hiker feeling scared and vulnerable.
- As the thunderstorm approached, the children became increasingly scared of the loud thunderclaps.
- The ghost stories around the campfire succeeded in making everyone scared to venture into the woods at night.
- The sudden power outage in the haunted house attraction left visitors genuinely scared in the pitch-black darkness.
- Walking alone in an unfamiliar neighborhood at night can make anyone feel scared.
- The eerie silence in the abandoned mansion made her feel uneasy and scared.
- The unexpected medical diagnosis left him feeling shocked and scared about the future.
- Being lost in the dense fog of the unfamiliar forest left the hiker disoriented and scared.
What is another word for "scarred"?
- Marked
- Damaged
- Blemished
- Wounded
- Injured
- Hurt
- Disfigured
- Traumatized
What is another word for "scared"?
- Afraid
- Frightened
- Terrified
- Anxious
- Nervous
- Apprehensive
- Timid
- Hesitant
- Alarmed
- Spooked
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