dismay vs scare

dismay

verb
  • To take dismay or fright; to be filled with dismay. 

  • To render lifeless; to subdue; to disquiet. 

  • To cause to feel apprehension; great sadness, or fear; to deprive of energy 

noun
  • A sudden or complete loss of courage and firmness in the face of trouble or danger; overwhelming and disabling terror; a sinking of the spirits 

  • Condition fitted to dismay; ruin. 

scare

verb
  • To frighten, terrify, startle, especially in a minor way. 

adj
  • lean; scanty 

noun
  • A cause of slight terror; something that inspires fear or dread. 

  • A minor fright. 

  • A device or object used to frighten. 

How often have the words dismay and scare occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )