Meanings
plural scare quotes · alternative scarequote · alternative scare-quote
- in pluralA quotation mark deliberately used to provoke a reaction or to indicate that the author does not approve of a term or clause, rather than to identify a direct quotation.First known use 1956
An incidental pleasure is his witty mastery of the scare quote and the square bracket.
2006 September 6, “Where Hairsplitting Can Become High Drama”, in New York Sun3 more examples
One other important figure in postmodern thought is Richard Rorty, who might be characterized as master of the scare quote
2001 January 1, “The Retreat From Inquiry and Knowledge in Special Education.”, in Journal of Special EducationHe is inordinately fond of the scare quote, a sign that he is not really sure of what he's talking about.
2004, P Timms, What's Wrong with Contemporary Art?I put the relevant pronouns in scare quote because Bundy’s interviewers succeeded in getting Bundy to talk about his crimes only by allowing him to describe them in the third person
2008, D Jeske, “Friendship and the grounds of reasons”, in papyrus.bib.umontreal.caSynonyms: shudder quote, sneer quote
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA quotation mark deliberately used to provoke a reaction or to indicate that the author does not approve of a term or clause, rather than to identify a direct quotation.
Origin
Coined by British analytic philosopher G. E. M. Anscombe in 1956 in her essay “Aristotle and the Sea Battle”. Originally spelt with a hyphen.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish ironinen lainausmerkki
- ironinen lainausmerkkiquotation mark used to provoke reaction
French guillemet ironique
- guillemet ironiquequotation mark used to provoke reaction
German ironisches Anführungszeichen
- ironisches Anführungszeichenquotation mark used to provoke reaction
Italian virgolette ironiche
- virgolette ironichequotation mark used to provoke reaction
Polish cudzysłów ironiczny
- cudzysłów ironicznyquotation mark used to provoke reaction
Portuguese aspas irónicas, aspas irônicas
- aspas irónicasquotation mark used to provoke reaction
- aspas irônicasquotation mark used to provoke reaction
Spanish cita de miedo
- cita de miedoquotation mark used to provoke reaction
Cite this entry
scare quote. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scare%20quote
“scare quote.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scare%20quote. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “scare quote,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scare%20quote.
Source: scare quote on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.