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
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Recent Examples of spooked
CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026
At the same time, though, the excitement around AI infrastructure spending has waned, and now the market seems as spooked by it than enticed.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2026
At the same time, wealthy consumers could be spooked by volatile stock markets.
—Robert Frank, CNBC, 27 Mar. 2026
Law enforcement sources told the outlet that security cameras at Richie’s home picked up images of the suspect, who entered the home but was spooked by an alarm.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
One downtown restaurant reported a 70% revenue drop after customers were spooked by the National Guard presence at an adjacent hotel.
—Cleve R. Wootson Jr. The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 25 Mar. 2026
The dog had been spooked the previous night and wandered into the darkness, spending a terrifying 24 hours in the frozen Canadian wilderness.
—Seth Carnell, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
Carolyn, whose position in America’s preeminent political dynasty is a counterpart to Diana’s place in the royal family, is spooked, to put it mildly.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
Of all the wizards of modern AI, Amodei, the theoretical physicist who founded Anthropic, maker of Claude, is the most publicly anxious about the impact of his product on the world at large, seemingly spooked by his own predictions.
—Joe Hagan, Vanity Fair, 18 Mar. 2026
Verb
The unprecedented leap at Sunshine Farm in Necedah, Wisconsin, last week was precipitated by some stray dogs that rushed the enclosure and spooked the 16-month-old Chesney, said his keeper, Debbie Marland.
—CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026
At the same time, though, the excitement around AI infrastructure spending has waned, and now the market seems as spooked by it than enticed.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2026
At the same time, wealthy consumers could be spooked by volatile stock markets.
—Robert Frank, CNBC, 27 Mar. 2026
Law enforcement sources told the outlet that security cameras at Richie’s home picked up images of the suspect, who entered the home but was spooked by an alarm.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2026
One downtown restaurant reported a 70% revenue drop after customers were spooked by the National Guard presence at an adjacent hotel.
—Cleve R. Wootson Jr. The Washington Post, Arkansas Online, 25 Mar. 2026
The dog had been spooked the previous night and wandered into the darkness, spending a terrifying 24 hours in the frozen Canadian wilderness.
—Seth Carnell, USA Today, 24 Mar. 2026
Carolyn, whose position in America’s preeminent political dynasty is a counterpart to Diana’s place in the royal family, is spooked, to put it mildly.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2026
Of all the wizards of modern AI, Amodei, the theoretical physicist who founded Anthropic, maker of Claude, is the most publicly anxious about the impact of his product on the world at large, seemingly spooked by his own predictions.
—Joe Hagan, Vanity Fair, 18 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spooked
Adjective
-
Chesney became frightened, scaled the enclosure wall and hopped over the fence.—
Hannah Kirby,
jsonline.com,
28 Mar. 2026
-
Scared and frightened, the only way to relieve the pain is to sell.—
,
CNBC,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
During the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s, tanker ships caught in the cross fire ended up at the bottom of the Persian Gulf, which scared off potential customers.—
Shane Harris,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The recent immigration crackdowns have scared her.—
Mary Schmich,
Chicago Tribune,
22 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Recently, Kristen chased a terrified family with young children up a nearby stairway.—
Kelly Davis,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Mar. 2026
-
But since the arrival of the feds, families had grown too terrified to leave home.—
Daniel Brook,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The realization that many members did not have the same connection to Israel, and even sympathized with its critics, startled her.—
Eyal Press,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
As Alpha waits for the results of blood tests, she is startled by the sudden appearance of a gaunt, jittery stranger in their apartment.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Neither is too afraid of what the USMNT has in store for them, either.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
New York Times,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Fairey was forthcoming about his opinions on art, politics and technology, drawing applause at one point for saying that using AI in art is not something to be afraid of.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
This little bird was a horrified little lump that just kept falling over his feet.—
Emma Forgione,
Vulture,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The horrified fisherman ran out to the street to hail the Mascotte police chief, who was directing traffic in front of a nearby elementary school.—
Martin E. Comas,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
President Bush, alarmed, directed the National Security Council to prevent Iran from acquiring one.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
The historic plane didn't make move to the new terminal, and aviation enthusiasts expressed alarmed there was no plan to find her a new home.—
Andy Sheehan,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Cain seems genuinely shocked by this.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Lexi, who appears to be an assistant, is shocked.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spooked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spooked. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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