startling
adjective
star·tling
ˈstär-tᵊl-iŋ 
ˈstärt-liŋ
: causing momentary fright, surprise, or astonishment
a startling discovery
startlingly
adverb
Examples of startling in a Sentence
Startling new evidence came to light during the trial.
He made a startling discovery.
It is a city of startling contrasts.
Recent Examples on the Web
Alfredo Tejada makes a startling company debut as a ferociously frightening Ramón Ruiz Alonso, who arrests Lorca.
—
Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2025
The Democratic Party is grappling with questions over its political direction following the startling loss of all three branches of government during the 2024 elections.
—Isabella Murray, ABC News, 7 May 2025
Taskmaster’s already tragic life ended in quite a startling way.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 5 May 2025
Neural networks can also generate text with startling fluency, master complex games and solve problems in math and biology — all without any explicit instruction.
—Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for startling
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Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 9 May 2025
The Democratic Party is grappling with questions over its political direction following the startling loss of all three branches of government during the 2024 elections.
—Isabella Murray, ABC News, 7 May 2025
Taskmaster’s already tragic life ended in quite a startling way.
—Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 5 May 2025
Neural networks can also generate text with startling fluency, master complex games and solve problems in math and biology — all without any explicit instruction.
—Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for startling
Cite this Entry
“Startling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/startling. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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