startling
adjective
star·tling
ˈstärt-liŋ 
ˈstär-tᵊl-iŋ
: causing momentary fright, surprise, or astonishment
a startling discovery
startlingly
adverb
Synonyms
Examples of startling in a Sentence
Startling new evidence came to light during the trial.
He made a startling discovery.
It is a city of startling contrasts.
Recent Examples on the Web
In 1990, that a woman in her mid-twenties would address a belittling man in this way felt startling and new.
—
Ann Powers, NPR, 19 Apr. 2024
The film remains chaotic and startling through the end.
—Eisa Nefertari Ulen, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Apr. 2024
The qualitative difference in the fuel is even more startling.
—Joby Warrick, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
But then, even in a fault-riddled place with long and hard experience with earthquakes, the jolt of aftershock after aftershock was startling, continuing every few minutes throughout the day.
—John Yoon, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024
And most startling, especially for women, substance use is a survival tool.
—Jim Vargas, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Apr. 2024
This year’s meeting offered them little, a startling development given China’s huge economic and financial challenges – a property crisis, export shortfalls, demographic decline, a loss of confidence among consumers and private business owners, and growing hostility in foreign capitals.
—Milton Ezrati, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
The eerily perfect replacement of our sun’s disk by an equal-size black orb, followed by the startling appearance of previously invisible and dramatic regions of illumination surrounding it—that kind of eclipse demands very particular conditions.
—Adam Frank, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2024
With so much positivity, the disconnect with major brands is startling.
—Isaac Mizrahi, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Ann Powers, NPR, 19 Apr. 2024
The film remains chaotic and startling through the end.
—Eisa Nefertari Ulen, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Apr. 2024
The qualitative difference in the fuel is even more startling.
—Joby Warrick, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
But then, even in a fault-riddled place with long and hard experience with earthquakes, the jolt of aftershock after aftershock was startling, continuing every few minutes throughout the day.
—John Yoon, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024
And most startling, especially for women, substance use is a survival tool.
—Jim Vargas, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Apr. 2024
This year’s meeting offered them little, a startling development given China’s huge economic and financial challenges – a property crisis, export shortfalls, demographic decline, a loss of confidence among consumers and private business owners, and growing hostility in foreign capitals.
—Milton Ezrati, Forbes, 28 Mar. 2024
The eerily perfect replacement of our sun’s disk by an equal-size black orb, followed by the startling appearance of previously invisible and dramatic regions of illumination surrounding it—that kind of eclipse demands very particular conditions.
—Adam Frank, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2024
With so much positivity, the disconnect with major brands is startling.
—Isaac Mizrahi, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'startling.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near startling
Cite this Entry
“Startling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/startling. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share