as in frightened
filled with fear or dread
Ichabod Crane was so spooked that he left Sleepy Hollow for good
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in scared
to strike with fear
the sudden noise spooked her out of her skin
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of spooked
Robin Wright, New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2026
Still, the choice to zone high-quality farmland for development has spooked some farmers in rural Adamstown.
—Lily Carey, Baltimore Sun, 7 Mar. 2026
The decisions have spooked rare disease patient advocates, who have questioned whether the agency’s rhetoric on embracing flexibility for rare disease drugs matches up with its actions.
—Lizzy Lawrence, STAT, 6 Mar. 2026
Just massive growth, coinciding with its furious rollout of new AI tools that spooked investors in software stocks and plenty of other industries .
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 4 Mar. 2026
The California tax that has spooked the ultra wealthy still needs to pass the ballot box in November.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2026
The stock market got spooked, a sign of its fragility.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
The piece in Vox points out some issues with Citrini’s predictions—all the money pumped into AI has to pay at least a few salaries, maybe this time the government will regulate something—but the story is plausible enough to have really spooked a noticeable chunk of the tech industry.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 26 Feb. 2026
That’s all fine with Wall Street, since the part that really had investors spooked was the paper’s prediction that this would also dry up consumer spending, cause a global stock sell-off, and collapse even dependable money-makers like the S&P 500.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 25 Feb. 2026
Verb
Beyond the physical damage, Epic Fury has spooked the global economy.
—Robin Wright, New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2026
Still, the choice to zone high-quality farmland for development has spooked some farmers in rural Adamstown.
—Lily Carey, Baltimore Sun, 7 Mar. 2026
The decisions have spooked rare disease patient advocates, who have questioned whether the agency’s rhetoric on embracing flexibility for rare disease drugs matches up with its actions.
—Lizzy Lawrence, STAT, 6 Mar. 2026
Just massive growth, coinciding with its furious rollout of new AI tools that spooked investors in software stocks and plenty of other industries .
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 4 Mar. 2026
The California tax that has spooked the ultra wealthy still needs to pass the ballot box in November.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2026
The stock market got spooked, a sign of its fragility.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
The piece in Vox points out some issues with Citrini’s predictions—all the money pumped into AI has to pay at least a few salaries, maybe this time the government will regulate something—but the story is plausible enough to have really spooked a noticeable chunk of the tech industry.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 26 Feb. 2026
That’s all fine with Wall Street, since the part that really had investors spooked was the paper’s prediction that this would also dry up consumer spending, cause a global stock sell-off, and collapse even dependable money-makers like the S&P 500.
—Frank Landymore, Futurism, 25 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spooked
Adjective
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The facile novelty of adultery is its own mask, a sexy way of dressing up a deep, frightened longing for security.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
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He wasn’t arrested, but Toni Jo was frightened enough to relinquish custody of him and return to Saudi Arabia.—
James Verini,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Greene leaves big and loud shoes to fill, but her larger-than-life presence in Washington hasn't scared away candidates hoping to replace her.—
Irene Wright,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
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That term definitely scared off some other teams.—
Shayna Goldman,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Everyone is terrified but grateful for this gift Ennis and Gary have given them.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
9 Mar. 2026
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But her mother, too terrified to take out the garbage, let alone venture through the city to a hospital, canceled the procedure.—
Kate Wells,
NPR,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Prosecutors allege Joshua Alvarado, 30, passed out at the wheel of his pickup truck while driving to work and was startled awake by other drivers honking at him.—
Katie Houlis,
CBS News,
7 Mar. 2026
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In the early hours of Sunday morning, as a bar in a busy nightlife district of Austin, Texas, prepared to close for the night, patrons and staff were startled by the sound of gunshots.—
Amanda Musa,
CNN Money,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Elizabeth Hurley isn't afraid of a re-wear.—
Anna Kaufman,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
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Don't be afraid of the rainy season.—
Tom Vanderbilt,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Hamilton and Madison would have been aligned in horrified opposition had Washington, without congressional action, dispatched gunboats to sink British ships.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
5 Mar. 2026
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And the posts do tend to trigger horrified reactions from other TikTok users.—
Kristen Rogers,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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The law enforcement steps have alarmed election officials and Democrats who fear that the administration is building an argument for interfering in this year’s midterm elections.—
Isaac Arnsdorf,
Washington Post,
9 Mar. 2026
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Donnie is alarmed to find her in a room that, according to the board, is unoccupied.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
6 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Still, the deal still did catch some off guard, including the trial’s own judge Judge Arun Subramanian, who was shocked to learn that while an agreement was reached last week, the court wasn’t alerted until Monday.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
9 Mar. 2026
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Even Jordan looked shocked as the audience rose to its feet and Viola Davis, the award’s presenter, celebrated.—
Jake Coyle,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spooked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spooked. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
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