1
as in amazed
to make a strong impression on (someone) with something unexpected
the lightning startled the children and sent them scurrying for cover
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in jumped
to move suddenly and sharply (as in surprise)
the cat startled when the door slammed shut with a bang
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in frightened
to strike with fear
loud noises always startle her
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in surprised
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
2
as in alarmed
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of startled
Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2025
Steven reacts like a startled cat when Belly tells him, then pivots to comfort and action.
—Sara Netzley, EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025
But when expert judgment was most needed, the autopilot abruptly handed control back to the startled crew, and flooded the zone with urgent, confusing warnings.
—David Autor, The Atlantic, 24 Aug. 2025
The Grammy-winning rapper surprises each of the startled women with a gift, a live beating heart, still pumping blood outside the body.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 19 Aug. 2025
The other child was still inside the minivan when the thief hopped into the front seat and drove off before the startled dad had time to react, police said.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 10 Aug. 2025
Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
In this episode, after Kirsch points out that the eyeball/sheep-thing intentionally startled and trapped Isaac — and not for its own benefit, but to assist another alien — Kavalier decides to have a conversation with the beast, starting by asking it to recite the digits of pi.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025
Seagulls lift off the beach, startled by the sudden salty cacophony.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Topa startled by knee pain Trying to close out the game, right-hander Justin Topa made a pitch in the ninth inning and felt a pain in his knee similar to the patellar tendon injury that ruined most of his 2024 season.
—David Brown, Twin Cities, 8 Sep. 2025
Then the Buckel brothers arrived, intent on doing the same, and Smith was startled.
—Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 4 Sep. 2025
Another Epstein accuser looked up, startled, to see where the deafening sound was coming from.
—Josh Meyer, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
Moments later, Bell and her sister were startled by a gunshot and found that the boy, Demeir Aston Douglas, shot himself between the eyes in his bedroom, according to prosecutors.
—William Lee, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2025
The cars are startled by a ghost car named Brenda (a perfectly imperfect name), who introduces them to other friendly ghost vehicles, most of whom have experienced deadly crashes and now honk funny.
—Sloane Crosley, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
Verb
An Ohio woman ordered Charlie Kirk’s go-to Starbucks drink on Sunday evening — and was startled to find a hateful message written on the cup.
—Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2025
Steven reacts like a startled cat when Belly tells him, then pivots to comfort and action.
—Sara Netzley, EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025
But when expert judgment was most needed, the autopilot abruptly handed control back to the startled crew, and flooded the zone with urgent, confusing warnings.
—David Autor, The Atlantic, 24 Aug. 2025
The Grammy-winning rapper surprises each of the startled women with a gift, a live beating heart, still pumping blood outside the body.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 19 Aug. 2025
The other child was still inside the minivan when the thief hopped into the front seat and drove off before the startled dad had time to react, police said.
—John Annese, New York Daily News, 10 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Sleep may be disturbed by a pet's movements, and dogs may bite if startled.
—Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
In this episode, after Kirsch points out that the eyeball/sheep-thing intentionally startled and trapped Isaac — and not for its own benefit, but to assist another alien — Kavalier decides to have a conversation with the beast, starting by asking it to recite the digits of pi.
—Noel Murray, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2025
Seagulls lift off the beach, startled by the sudden salty cacophony.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Topa startled by knee pain Trying to close out the game, right-hander Justin Topa made a pitch in the ninth inning and felt a pain in his knee similar to the patellar tendon injury that ruined most of his 2024 season.
—David Brown, Twin Cities, 8 Sep. 2025
Then the Buckel brothers arrived, intent on doing the same, and Smith was startled.
—Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 4 Sep. 2025
Another Epstein accuser looked up, startled, to see where the deafening sound was coming from.
—Josh Meyer, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
Moments later, Bell and her sister were startled by a gunshot and found that the boy, Demeir Aston Douglas, shot himself between the eyes in his bedroom, according to prosecutors.
—William Lee, Chicago Tribune, 28 Aug. 2025
The cars are startled by a ghost car named Brenda (a perfectly imperfect name), who introduces them to other friendly ghost vehicles, most of whom have experienced deadly crashes and now honk funny.
—Sloane Crosley, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for startled
Verb
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From the Squishmallows x TONYMOLY K-beauty skincare cal to Olive & June’s nail cal, you’d be surprised by just how many launch every day.—
Katie Decker-Jacoby,
StyleCaster,
27 Sep. 2025
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Fever‘s popularity even surprised the band members, who weren’t quite convinced by its power.—
Maya Georgi,
Rolling Stone,
27 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Shares of Alibaba listed in Hong Kong jumped over 6% after CEO Eddie Wu said Wednesday that the company will boost its investment in artificial intelligence.—
Evelyn Cheng,
CNBC,
24 Sep. 2025
-
Expansion fees jumped to $110 million in five years, and infrastructure is no longer a nice-to-have but a must.—
Asli Pelit,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
There are liberals in media, but the corporations are now either controlled by the right wing or frightened of it.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
20 Sep. 2025
-
Family pets, especially dogs, are frightened by the noise and will hide or try to run away.—
Phil Diehl,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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But other times, a lot of the expressions that people interpret in the film as scared and alarmed or vexed by the invisible forces are the results of things on set that are just bizarre and kind of hilarious.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Sep. 2025
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News of Tesla’s robotaxi plans surprised and alarmed regulators, according to emails among California and federal officials and a Tesla public-policy staffer, which Reuters obtained through a public-records request.—
Chris Kirkham,
USA Today,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Andrew Harnik | Getty Images Shares of Oracle surged 36% in yesterday’s session after the company’s cloud growth estimates amazed Wall Street.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
11 Sep. 2025
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The 90-yard dash along the right sideline one play after Ruvalcaba’s interception amazed his teammates.—
Jeff Vorva,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Aug. 2025
Verb
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And in the movie’s eyes, that central lie is still passing along Bessie’s tragedy to new sets of ears, and thus neither our hero’s best friend nor that scared young boy in Eastern Europe is ever truly forgotten.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
24 Sep. 2025
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Plus, the field may be scared away after Rachaad White scored the game-winning touchdown against the Texans on Monday night.—
Eddie Brown,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Here, Johnny tries to go for it again with that same urgency, only for Gheorghe to insist on gentleness, tenderness, and yes, an actual first kiss, even as Johnny is visibly terrified.—
James Factora,
Them.,
26 Sep. 2025
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Captains of industry all look terrified of pissing off the wrong powerful guy.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The company has been an AI infrastructure provider and stunned Wall Street earlier this month by reaching a $300 billion deal with OpenAI, which will purchase computing power over about five years in one of the largest cloud contracts ever signed.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
28 Sep. 2025
-
The reaction online stunned Carrizales.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Startled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/startled. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
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