startling
adjective
star·tling
ˈstär-tᵊl-iŋ 
ˈstärt-liŋ
: causing 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
Developed by Laerdal Medical, the high-fidelity mannequin was designed to recreate real childbirth conditions with startling realism.
—
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 21 Mar. 2026
On the flipside, the 5-2 first-leg defeat to Atletico last week was startling in all sorts of ways and led, ultimately, to Tottenham being eliminated from the Champions League, losing that round-of-16 tie 7-5 on aggregate.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2026
During his time as chair, Powell has faced a global pandemic that rippled through supply chains for years, a startling war in Ukraine that caused an energy shock, a battery of tariffs, and now this war in Iran, which the IEA has warned threatens to cause the worst energy crisis in history.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2026
Directed by Kristoffer Borgli, The Drama stars Zendaya opposite Robert Pattinson as an engaged couple in the midst of wedding preparations, whose relationship is put to the test after a startling revelation.
—Valentine Ulgu-Servant, Vanity Fair, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for startling
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Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 21 Mar. 2026
On the flipside, the 5-2 first-leg defeat to Atletico last week was startling in all sorts of ways and led, ultimately, to Tottenham being eliminated from the Champions League, losing that round-of-16 tie 7-5 on aggregate.
—Oliver Kay, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2026
During his time as chair, Powell has faced a global pandemic that rippled through supply chains for years, a startling war in Ukraine that caused an energy shock, a battery of tariffs, and now this war in Iran, which the IEA has warned threatens to cause the worst energy crisis in history.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2026
Directed by Kristoffer Borgli, The Drama stars Zendaya opposite Robert Pattinson as an engaged couple in the midst of wedding preparations, whose relationship is put to the test after a startling revelation.
—Valentine Ulgu-Servant, Vanity Fair, 19 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for startling
Cite this Entry
“Startling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/startling. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
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