startled 1 of 2

adjective

1
as in surprised

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2
as in alarmed

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Dissimilar Words

startled

2 of 2

verb

past tense of startle
1
as in stunned
to make a strong impression on (someone) with something unexpected the lightning startled the children and sent them scurrying for cover

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2
as in jumped
to move suddenly and sharply (as in surprise) the cat startled when the door slammed shut with a bang

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3
as in frightened
to strike with fear loud noises always startle her

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of startled
Adjective
In the past, horses have collapsed, gotten startled and run off, hitting cars or other objects, with each accident resulting in fresh calls for a ban. — Anthony Izaguirre, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026 Ewart, 43, a fellow opponent of the data center project, was startled to hear that. — ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026 The startled deputy lets out a scream and races back toward his patrol vehicle. — Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2026 The feline was then released back into the wild, startled but safe. — Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 2 Sep. 2026 Her face, indisputably middle-aged, had a pensive, startled quality. — Madhuri Vijay, New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2026 Even general manager Jonah Kaplan is a little startled by the café’s increasing popularity. — Miami Herald, 6 Aug. 2026 As a Flamengo defender attempted to pass the ball to a teammate, the blue-and-yellow bird dove straight toward him, sending the startled teen crashing to the ground in a panic. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 5 Aug. 2026 One of them who’d worked with Juliatra-Monoth gave him a startled look. — Jeff Spry, Space.com, 26 June 2026
Verb
However, startled by the activation of the security system, the suspect fled the scene without stealing any loot. — Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 5 Oct. 2026 Their approach startled the predator, who took off with the mother godwit in its claws. — Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026 While holding Gnocchi, a large street cleaning truck whipped down the street and startled him into clawing away. — Emily Tarinelli, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026 This horror movie mostly just smelled of fake fog from a community theater production and occasionally you were startled by random bursts of air, once again pulling you from the events on screen. — Meredith G. White, AZCentral.com, 28 Aug. 2026 Silver carp can be startled by boat engines, launching themselves as high as 10 feet from the water and sometimes injuring boaters. — Caitlin Looby, jsonline.com, 27 Aug. 2026 Of those who were injured, officials said that many were hurt while falling down or hitting themselves against furniture after being startled by the earthquake while sleeping. — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 23 Aug. 2026 There’s nothing worse than waking up in the middle of a super restful sleep cycle, whether you are startled by the neighbor’s dog or an unwanted text message. — Alexandra Frost, USA Today, 17 Aug. 2026 Sometimes workers would be startled by the sight of a machine moving by itself and realize it was being controlled by someone in Turkey. — Jesse Coburn, ProPublica, 12 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for startled
  1. surprised
  2. alarmed
  3. stunned
  4. jumped
  5. frightened
  6. awed
  7. terrified
  8. amazed
Adjective
  • As a highly knowledgeable observer of hip-hop trends, Bun B hasn’t been surprised to see the way that Drake’s career has bounced back from the negative headlines of 2024 and 2025.
    — Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 15 Oct. 2026
  • While working on these series, Childs and Palek were surprised to learn how often people lie.
    — Anthony Solorzano, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of surprised
Adjective
  • Sacramento City Unified School District’s multiyear projections to address its fiscal crisis relied on revenue assumptions that alarmed fiscal overseers.
    — Chaewon Chung Updated October 8, Sacbee.com, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Annual interest expenses will be well over $6 billion, a level that has alarmed deal critics.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of alarmed
Verb
  • An Oklahoma copper theft suspect stunned a deputy with a headfirst dive through a closed window, but overlooked one detail that helped deputies track him down.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • But these three diffuse galaxies, known as DF2, DF4, and DF9, have left astronomers stunned.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of stunned
Verb
  • When gas prices jumped this spring after the Iran war started, Americans were starting to get tax refunds boosted by last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The Dodgers jumped out to an early lead in the second inning after Andy Pages batted in right fielder Kyle Tucker and superstar Shohei Ohtani ended his nearly two-month home-run drought with a three-run homer to right-center field.
    — Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of jumped
Verb
  • Douglas admitted that his father’s behavior left him and brother Joel frightened.
    — Tracy Wright, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • At the very start of the pandemic, while most Americans were hunkered down, frightened for their lives and worried about job loss, RealPage hosted a virtual pep talk for landlords.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of frightened
Adjective
  • This audience listened in awed silence, and by the end of the song, everyone around us was crying as well, before jolting upward in a spontaneous standing ovation — one of three.
    — James Gunn, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Maxwell, a fiction editor at The New Yorker, drew upon his own awed discovery of France in 1948; the novel’s opening paragraphs show one of the protagonists weeping at the sight of the French shore.
    — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026
Definition of awed
Adjective
  • Even after the attacker was restrained, passengers remained terrified.
    — Mitchell McCluskey, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
  • This kind of conversation always leaves me half-amused, half-terrified.
    — Alicja Turczyk, The Dial, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of terrified
Verb
  • Larry remarks, amazed all these years later by this odd before-they-were-stars encounter.
    — Blake J. Harris, Vulture, 12 Oct. 2026
  • And especially with the stock market—I’m amazed the stock market still hasn’t really taken the hit.
    — Victoria Feng, The Atlantic, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of amazed

Browse Nearby Words

startle
startled
startlement
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Cite this Entry

“Startled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/startled. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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