1
as in shook
to make a series of small irregular or violent movements
the roller coaster car jerked and jolted as it coursed along the old wooden tracks
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in jerked
to move or cause to move with a sharp quick motion
she jolted the door open with her elbow
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in shocked
to cause an unpleasant surprise for
the sneak terrorist attack jolted the country out of its indolence and indifference
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of jolted
Neighbor Angel Munoz was jolted from his sleep by the gunshot.
—
Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026
With the epicenter at a depth of over 180 kilometers, the quake jolted a wide swath of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
—ABC News, 3 Apr. 2026
New York — The war in Iran has jolted financial markets, sending oil prices surging and stocks and bonds falling.
—John Towfighi, CNN Money, 30 Mar. 2026
But even with effective air defenses, Iran’s missiles and drones — and the debris from those that are intercepted — have killed and wounded civilians, inflicted significant damage on key energy facilities and jolted the global economy.
—Jiachuan Wu, NBC news, 27 Mar. 2026
As a new baseball season gets underway, here’s hoping that the owners’ memories are jolted by the smell of Cracker Jack® and horsehide.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 27 Mar. 2026
Multiple Oakland hotels, office buildings and apartment hubs have been jolted by loan defaults and plunging values over the last few years.
—George Avalos, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026
That brings to mind a time when a series of near-miss Orioles teams found the wanting ingredient that finally jolted them to excellence.
—Raymond Daniel Burke, Baltimore Sun, 23 Mar. 2026
The Longhorns jolted out of the First Four with Tramon Mark’s walk-off fadeaway jumper.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2026
Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026
With the epicenter at a depth of over 180 kilometers, the quake jolted a wide swath of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
—ABC News, 3 Apr. 2026
New York — The war in Iran has jolted financial markets, sending oil prices surging and stocks and bonds falling.
—John Towfighi, CNN Money, 30 Mar. 2026
But even with effective air defenses, Iran’s missiles and drones — and the debris from those that are intercepted — have killed and wounded civilians, inflicted significant damage on key energy facilities and jolted the global economy.
—Jiachuan Wu, NBC news, 27 Mar. 2026
As a new baseball season gets underway, here’s hoping that the owners’ memories are jolted by the smell of Cracker Jack® and horsehide.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 27 Mar. 2026
Multiple Oakland hotels, office buildings and apartment hubs have been jolted by loan defaults and plunging values over the last few years.
—George Avalos, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026
That brings to mind a time when a series of near-miss Orioles teams found the wanting ingredient that finally jolted them to excellence.
—Raymond Daniel Burke, Baltimore Sun, 23 Mar. 2026
The Longhorns jolted out of the First Four with Tramon Mark’s walk-off fadeaway jumper.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jolted
Verb
-
The vicious murder that followed shook Kansas City to its core and to this day, no one knows for certain who snuck into Leila Welsh’s bedroom and brutally murdered her that morning.—
Patrick Salland,
Kansas City Star,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Magnus shook his head, his damp hair flopping against the back of his neck.—
Ben Mezrich,
Vanity Fair,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
We are jerked between past and present as his backstory gets filled in, one jogged memory at a time.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Aisha jerked and opened her eyes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
His team-mates were shocked too.—
Jordan Campbell,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Jordan, who used to be the Hornets’ majority owner and still has a small piece of the team, volunteered that he had been shocked by Knueppel.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
At least the elevator still creaked and shuddered, as in the old days, finally trembling open on the eighth floor.—
Rick Bragg,
Southern Living,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Later, when Tristan gently put his hand on Marke’s shoulder, the king shuddered.—
Scott Cantrell,
Dallas Morning News,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Severino allowed back-to-back singles with one out in the fourth and was yanked for reliever Elvis Alvarado.—
Chad Bishop,
AJC.com,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel drew walks, sandwiched around a Trout single, and then Soler yanked a three-run double down the left field line.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The proposal appalled the science community and lawmakers.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Back in Brooklyn after college at Emerson, she was appalled by the march toward war that followed 9/11.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The envelope all but vibrated in her hands.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The roar of the crowds gathered at the base of the 101-story building still echoed in his ears, and the thrill of scaling its ten abstract metal dragons vibrated through his body.—
Outside,
Outside,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Don’t gag, don’t cry — and my stomach lurched.—
Kate Crane,
Rolling Stone,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Since then, the larger culture has lurched rightward, with big corporations abandoning progressive signaling in favor of…other priorities.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Jolted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jolted. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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