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
Nina Totenberg, NPR, 5 Nov. 2025
Guzel allegedly had planned to travel in two weeks to Turkey and onward to Syria from there, but it's believed he got spooked after last week's arrests and moved his flight up, sources said.
—Luke Barr, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2025
Advertisement Blau and Bloomberg are clearly not and have been spooked by the idea of a Mamdani mayorship.
—Evan Friss, Time, 3 Nov. 2025
The monkey got spooked from an animatronic decoration and sought refuge in the ceiling.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Oct. 2025
Investors were spooked by some Big Tech capex plans, with all three major indexes falling Thursday.
—Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2025
Spirit Halloween employee Jimmy Harris told the outlet the pet monkey seemingly was in the store with its owner when it was spooked by one of the animatronic Halloween decorations in the store.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
See the video here — but don’t blame me if you get spooked!
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2025
While clients were spooked by tariffs this year, Smith says people who stayed the course actually saw gains.
—Trey Williams, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025
Verb
But the tariffs spooked American businesses, prompting a court challenge, contending that the president had exceeded his authority in imposing the tariffs.
—Nina Totenberg, NPR, 5 Nov. 2025
Guzel allegedly had planned to travel in two weeks to Turkey and onward to Syria from there, but it's believed he got spooked after last week's arrests and moved his flight up, sources said.
—Luke Barr, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2025
Advertisement Blau and Bloomberg are clearly not and have been spooked by the idea of a Mamdani mayorship.
—Evan Friss, Time, 3 Nov. 2025
The monkey got spooked from an animatronic decoration and sought refuge in the ceiling.
—Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 31 Oct. 2025
Investors were spooked by some Big Tech capex plans, with all three major indexes falling Thursday.
—Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2025
Spirit Halloween employee Jimmy Harris told the outlet the pet monkey seemingly was in the store with its owner when it was spooked by one of the animatronic Halloween decorations in the store.
—Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 30 Oct. 2025
See the video here — but don’t blame me if you get spooked!
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2025
While clients were spooked by tariffs this year, Smith says people who stayed the course actually saw gains.
—Trey Williams, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spooked
Adjective
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Nearly a week later, Scott and Kodi Allred, a couple traveling to visit their son at the University of Northern Colorado, saw the frightened black dachshund darting along the same stretch of road near Elk Mountain.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Sometimes, a frightened reaction is inexplicable.—
The Atlantic Culture Desk,
The Atlantic,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
We weren’t used to being scared by the internet yet.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
24 Oct. 2025
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Few books have scared me as much.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Dramatic body cam video shows a terrified boy was being held by the throat when his knife-wielding captor was killed by a deputy, the Florida investigators say.—
Mark Price,
Miami Herald,
3 Nov. 2025
-
The disaster forced terrified guests and hotel staff to leap from windows or dangle bedsheets to escape rooms engulfed in smoke and flames.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The boy looked up mid-sob, startled.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Across America, Halloween spending is expected to reach record levels this year, including large crowds waiting for their chance to be chased, startled and screamed at.—
Isabel Rosales,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The government hopes for rain, but people are already afraid.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
10 Nov. 2025
-
As a result, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin wasn't afraid to acknowledge just how bad things went for star quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the rest of his team as a whole.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
To be honest with you, everyone on the cast is pretty horrified by her behavior.—
Jason Pham,
StyleCaster,
7 Nov. 2025
-
When the woman ran out of the apartment screaming for help, Burnside turned to his horrified step-daughter, who witnessed the attack on her mom, and began to repeatedly stab her about the body, face and head.—
Thomas Tracy,
Mercury News,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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Experts are especially alarmed that the CDC is investigating splitting up the MMR vaccine, which protects kids against measles, mumps and rubella in one shot.—
NPR,
NPR,
7 Nov. 2025
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Phil, Myrtle’s son, who lived out of state, became alarmed when a concerned neighbor later notified him that his mother had vanished.—
David Chiu,
PEOPLE,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The shocked passengers on the boat were also unharmed.—
Landon Mion,
FOXNews.com,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Ryan’s stepfather sat quietly, appearing shocked and betrayed.—
Jamie Thompson,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Spooked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spooked. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.
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