scare-quote

A form of scare quote — A 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.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounscare-quote (plural scare-quotes)

plural scare-quotes

  1. alternativeAlternative form of scare quote.
Cite this entry
APA

scare-quote. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scare-quote

MLA

“scare-quote.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scare-quote. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “scare-quote,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scare-quote.

Source: scare-quote on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.