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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of spooked
Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 4 Dec. 2024
The looming economic and political crises has spooked markets, with French borrowing costs briefly rising above those of Greece on Monday.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 4 Dec. 2024
Investors were spooked on the print.
—Zev Fima,morgan Chittum, CNBC, 30 Nov. 2024
However, French borrowing costs have climbed above Germany’s this year as political instability in the country spooked markets.
—Jenni Reid, CNBC, 29 Nov. 2024
Most dogs would be so spooked by that and would have never even performed.
—Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, 27 Nov. 2024
The shady fixer for Market Equities gets spooked when local police — pressured by a new autopsy report Kayce procures — reverse John Dutton’s official cause of death from suicide to homicide, triggering the mysterious powers that be to tie up loose ends.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 26 Nov. 2024
But chocolate lovers don’t need to be spooked — the candy staple isn’t going away anytime soon.
—Erika Tulfo, CNN, 20 Oct. 2024
Days later, the AfD scored the first far-right state election victory in the country since the Nazi era – a breakthrough that spooked Europe.
—Rob Picheta, CNN, 20 Oct. 2024
Verb
But the deer had spooked (likely from the sound of the ATV, Laleman thinks).
—Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 4 Dec. 2024
The looming economic and political crises has spooked markets, with French borrowing costs briefly rising above those of Greece on Monday.
—Alexander Smith, NBC News, 4 Dec. 2024
Investors were spooked on the print.
—Zev Fima,morgan Chittum, CNBC, 30 Nov. 2024
However, French borrowing costs have climbed above Germany’s this year as political instability in the country spooked markets.
—Jenni Reid, CNBC, 29 Nov. 2024
Most dogs would be so spooked by that and would have never even performed.
—Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, 27 Nov. 2024
The shady fixer for Market Equities gets spooked when local police — pressured by a new autopsy report Kayce procures — reverse John Dutton’s official cause of death from suicide to homicide, triggering the mysterious powers that be to tie up loose ends.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 26 Nov. 2024
But chocolate lovers don’t need to be spooked — the candy staple isn’t going away anytime soon.
—Erika Tulfo, CNN, 20 Oct. 2024
Days later, the AfD scored the first far-right state election victory in the country since the Nazi era – a breakthrough that spooked Europe.
—Rob Picheta, CNN, 20 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spooked
Adjective
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His fervor to determine who took the weapon reveals a shockingly monstrous side, turning his wife and children into frightened suspects and leading to a jarring tonal-shift ending that proves to be a cathartic, believable final destination for a film simmering with mistrust and anger.Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 28 Nov. 2024
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At worst, this could lead to one or more Kent State-type incidents, with frightened Guardsmen in hostile, unfamiliar territory.Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 21 Nov. 2024
Adjective
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That evening, in the no man’s land, a field strewn with empty water bottles, four Shia families sat on a picnic blanket around a burner attached to a gas tank, looking scared and drinking yerba mate.Eliza Griswold, The New Yorker, 17 Dec. 2024
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Once glued to their hiding spot, a scared cat may not come out when called by its owner.Claire Thornton, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Although conditions in Malibu may not be among the worst firefighters have seen, the Franklin fire has torched several vehicles and left residents who had to flee terrified.Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 2024
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As the fighting ramped up in September, with daily missile barrages on the entire north, people were terrified of driving, fearing they’d be caught on the roads without shelter.Dina Kraft, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Hit lists with images of bullets are circulating online with warnings that industry leaders should be afraid.Devna Bose and John Seewer, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2024
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Expect lowball offers to come in here and there—and don't be deterred by them or afraid to turn them down.Michael Gargiulo, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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From his second-floor office in the Scurry County Courthouse, Hicks told the Abilene Reporter-News, part of the USA TODAY Network, workers in the building became alarmed during a5.0 quake Friday, which hit at 9:28 a.m. local time.Alexis Simmerman, Austin American-Statesman, 31 July 2024
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Treasury aides who had once labored in obscurity took recommendations directly to Cabinet officials, who were simultaneously hearing from alarmed Fortune 500 CEOs and the heads of Wall Street banks.Federica Cocco, Washington Post, 25 July 2024
Adjective
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Steffens — who looked shocked — said while smiling widely.Toria Sheffield, People.com, 9 Dec. 2024
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Binoche is the more unabashedly open of the two; at times, Fiennes seems shocked and sweetly shy in response to her candor.Rachel Handler, Vulture, 6 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near spooked
Cite this Entry
“Spooked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spooked. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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