spooked 1 of 2

adjective

as in frightened
filled with fear or dread Ichabod Crane was so spooked that he left Sleepy Hollow for good

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spooked

2 of 2

verb

past tense of spook
as in scared
to strike with fear the sudden noise spooked her out of her skin

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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 spooked
Adjective
The movie has since become an unexplainable piece of comfort for a spooked generation. — Joshua Rothkopf, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026 Know what would make Whitney less spooked? — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 10 June 2026 The Grammy Award-winning superstar took to Instagram to share her experience, which left her spooked and unable to sleep. — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2026
Verb
Alexis sees this, gets spooked, and goes and tells Linnea and Sharonda that Ana is gunning for them. — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026 The incident spooked industry researchers and executives, including Anthropic's Amodei, who referenced it in his proposal for a slowdown. — Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 23 Sep. 2026 In short, as scrutiny and criticism ramped up, officers got spooked about making a mistake and becoming front-page news. — Matt Calkins Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026 In that section, gruesome murders have spooked what few locals there are, and the boy, Caleb (Atticus Affleck), has a shifty, older-than-his years air about him that makes farmer Emmett (Scoot McNairy) quite unsettled. — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026 Despite having some experience, including one start last year, Vizzina looked spooked against LSU’s pass rush. — Seth Emerson, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026 She gets spooked when Cole rides his bike too close, or when a Times reporter turned the page of a notebook too fast. — Emily L. Mahoney, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026 Know More Saudi Arabia has been working on several measures in a bid to boost trading volumes on the stock exchange and reenergize new stock listings that had been faltering even before the Iran war spooked investors. — Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 26 Aug. 2026 Ukraine’s neighbors are on alert Russia’s relentless onslaught has spooked other European countries, especially those bordering Ukraine, which fear spreading attacks from Moscow. — Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spooked
  1. frightened
  2. scared
  3. terrified
  4. startled
  5. afraid
  6. horrified
  7. alarmed
  8. shocked
Adjective
  • Meanwhile, some of the frightened and wary passengers wondered about them and whether they could be trusted.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
  • He’s supposed to be embarrassed by me, not frightened for me.
    — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of frightened
Verb
  • And there are so many more that have stayed silent because people out there have told them not to speak up, who have scared them into not speaking up.
    — Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Elmore says the bear eventually climbed down the side of the truck, and employees scared it away from the area.
    — Christa Swanson, CBS News, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of scared
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
  • 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
Definition of startled
Adjective
  • Despite not registering a goal or an assist in just over an hour on the pitch, the youngster was never afraid to receive the ball and try to make something happen.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2026
  • As in the past, the show’s creators are seemingly not afraid to bite the hand that feeds them.
    — Tom Tapp, Deadline, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of afraid
Adjective
  • Greg O'Neill, 63, was swimming at Sorrento Beach in the northern suburbs of Perth in Western Australia on Friday when the attack happened in front of horrified beachgoers.
    — Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Their Bell helicopters collided midair, sending flaming wreckage above the heads of horrified drivers on the Pasadena Freeway.
    — Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of horrified
Adjective
  • Annual interest expenses will be well over $6 billion, a level that has alarmed deal critics.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 28 Sep. 2026
  • Americans are increasingly alarmed about the security and sanctity of voting, and growing fears about intimidation efforts at polling places in the midterm elections.
    — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of alarmed
Adjective
  • My conversations and research left me much less shocked at that statistic that had sent chills down my spine a few weeks prior.
    — Luba Kassova, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2026
  • Katlar Parchman, 19, appeared shocked to be in the defendant's chair on Saturday.
    — Marissa Sulek, CBS News, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of shocked

Browse Nearby Words

spook
spooked
spooking
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Cite this Entry

“Spooked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spooked. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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