English Lexicon

Scare-Tactics

/ˈskɛr ˈtæktɪks/
nounCEFR B2 (Upper)Top #1500 frequency
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Comprehensive Definitions & Senses

2 senses
As noun
  1. 1

    Methods or strategies used to instill fear in others to influence their behavior or decisions.

    "The politician's campaign relied heavily on scare tactics to sway voters."
  2. 2

    A form of manipulation that uses fear as a tool to achieve a specific outcome.

    "Critics argued that the advertisement employed scare tactics to promote the product."

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Antonyms & Contrasting Words (1)

Linguistic Origin & Historical Etymology

The term 'scare tactics' combines 'scare', derived from the Old Norse 'skera', meaning to frighten, and 'tactics', from the Greek 'taktikē', meaning the art of arrangement. The phrase emerged in the late 20th century, reflecting a strategic approach to instilling fear for persuasive purposes.

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