scared of vs scared by

Both 'scared of' and 'scared by' are correct and commonly used in English, but they are used in different contexts. 'Scared of' is used to express fear or anxiety about something, while 'scared by' is used to indicate the cause of the fear or the source of the scare.

Last updated: March 24, 2024 • 2895 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to express fear or anxiety about something.

"scared of"

Use 'scared of' to indicate that someone is afraid or anxious about a particular thing or situation.

Examples:

She is scared of spiders.
I am scared of heights.
He is scared of the dark.

Show examples from the web [+]

And too scared of losing your precious independence.
Makes you scared of losing people.
I was scared of everything except baking.
You're always scared of something.
Soft, I am scared of them all.
Mummy, I'm scared of that man.
You're scared of telling him.
I mean, they're scared of you right now.
Robin Hood wouldn't be scared of you.
Must be scared of the same thing.
They're not scared of you.
They're scared of what you represent to them.
Maybe Eigoro was scared of Zatoichi and ran off somewhere.
I'm just scared of losing my son.
One might get the impression you're scared of someone.
I'm not scared of falling down a mountain.
I told you I was scared of dying.
Look, I'm still very scared of you.
Some people get scared of who you are, man.
You're scared of this knife.

Alternatives:

afraid of
fearful of
terrified of
nervous about
anxious about

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to indicate the cause of the fear or the source of the scare.

"scared by"

Use 'scared by' to indicate what caused the fear or what scared someone.

Examples:

She was scared by the sudden noise.
He was scared by the horror movie.
The dog was scared by the thunderstorm.

Show examples from the web [+]

Your problem is that you're scared by that guy Rachid.
My son got scared by a horror film.
It'll be good for them to get scared by someone their own age.
You know, a lot of people would be scared by this.
Maybe Sarah got scared by the thunder.
Were you scared by the wig?
People don't need to be scared by a big gray-haired stick insect, but here you are.
After a week of being scared by my own mother, what I just said terrified her to the core.
{\blur2\fad(200,400)}Scared by all the things I face and the future
I was scared by myself in the cave.
I wasn't scared by the umbrella either.
It was more scared by the proletariat's demands than by submission to imperialism.
But gangsters aren't scared by women.
I'm more scared by the colour of yours.
Um. Security guard scared by a bunny rabbit.
Christina, who's going so far away, and yet scared by the sound of a siren.
Just sort of walked off the moment he got a bit scared by the situation.
I'd rather see your husband once or twice a week, than to risk having my grandchildren being scared by ghosts.
I'm using the big words because I don't want you to be scared by the small one.
For the sake of all the youngsters who've been scared by the votes from Dade to Eugene.

Alternatives:

frightened by
startled by
terrified by
shocked by
spooked by

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scared of vs scared by

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