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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spooked
Jason Zengerle, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
Having spooked the markets once again, President Plump seems to be backing away from taking Greenland by force.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 24 Jan. 2026
The thing that spooked me most in all this though, wasn’t the bad guys being bad guys.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 23 Jan. 2026
Takaichi’s move to announce a February 8 snap election further spooked the market.
—William Pesek, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
We got spooked after Costco delivered a mixed quarter in December, showing renewal rates drifting lower and a more selective consumer.
—Paulina Likos,morgan Chittum, CNBC, 22 Jan. 2026
But after Kirk Douglas died at 103 in 2020, they were spooked and decided to move the goal posts a bit, so now Ghoul Pool calculations begin with 105.
—Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
The suspect got spooked by the resident and fled.
—Anne Gelhaus, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026
The wildlife never showed because the talking spooked everything.
—Barbara Baird, Outdoor Life, 7 Jan. 2026
Verb
Perhaps Murdoch, who, at ninety-two, fit squarely in the CBS show’s viewer demographic, had seen it and got spooked.
—Jason Zengerle, New Yorker, 24 Jan. 2026
Having spooked the markets once again, President Plump seems to be backing away from taking Greenland by force.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 24 Jan. 2026
The thing that spooked me most in all this though, wasn’t the bad guys being bad guys.
—Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 23 Jan. 2026
Takaichi’s move to announce a February 8 snap election further spooked the market.
—William Pesek, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
We got spooked after Costco delivered a mixed quarter in December, showing renewal rates drifting lower and a more selective consumer.
—Paulina Likos,morgan Chittum, CNBC, 22 Jan. 2026
But after Kirk Douglas died at 103 in 2020, they were spooked and decided to move the goal posts a bit, so now Ghoul Pool calculations begin with 105.
—Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
The suspect got spooked by the resident and fled.
—Anne Gelhaus, Mercury News, 8 Jan. 2026
The wildlife never showed because the talking spooked everything.
—Barbara Baird, Outdoor Life, 7 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spooked
Adjective
-
The student’s grandmother, who also lived in the home and was caring for the infant, was too frightened to pick up the older child at school, so officials scrambled to find the child’s uncle.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Firefighters immediately arrived at the scene and pulled frightened residents from windows, stairwells, and elevator shafts as the building erupted into flames.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Last summer, Noemi Rios of Dallas started the grassroots organization Vecinos Unidos to advise immigrants of their rights and to identify people who may be confused by or scared of the system.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 Jan. 2026
-
What really scared me was telling my audience.—
SELF Staff,
SELF,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Barry’s little sister, who answered the call, was terrified.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Jan. 2026
-
But there’s plenty of agonized screaming, as well as lots of closeups of terrified faces.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The exchange startled Loftus, who this month shared the correspondence with the Orlando Sentinel.—
Jeffrey Schweers,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 Jan. 2026
-
YouTube’s growth as a competitor to traditional television has startled the industry in recent years.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Hundreds of volunteers have packed and delivered grocery boxes to families too afraid to leave their homes.—
Dev Patnaik,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
People are so afraid to go out and participate in public life regardless of their citizenship status.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
But some Germans are not thrilled by this American adoption of lüften, posting their own horrified reaction videos to TikTok.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
21 Jan. 2026
-
In witness footage shared by the police, the paraglider is seen falling from the sky with a faulty parachute and spiraling quickly towards the waters below, before smashing into the ocean in front of horrified beachgoers.—
Escher Walcott,
PEOPLE,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Regina seemed alarmed by the suggestion.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
-
The Santa Venetia neighbors may not be too alarmed at this point, but the county says the levees are a problem now.—
John Ramos,
CBS News,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Bill Belichick was not voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility, a league source confirmed to The Athletic on Tuesday, and folks around the NFL are shocked.—
Amos Morale III,
New York Times,
28 Jan. 2026
-
According to Rob Shuter, the whole family is shocked.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spooked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spooked. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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