startled 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of startlednext
1
as in surprised

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in alarmed

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

startled

2 of 2

verb

past tense of startle
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
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

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for startled
  1. surprised
  2. alarmed
  3. jumped
  4. stunned
  5. shocked
  6. terrified
  7. awed
  8. astonished
Adjective
  • Don’t be surprised if the project completion date slips into 2028 or 2029.
    Larry Penner, New York Daily News, 12 Jan. 2025
  • Hill said that many were surprised to learn the extent of Hill-Wolfskill’s support for everyone, from family and friends to complete strangers.
    J.M. Banks, Kansas City Star, 12 Jan. 2025
Definition of surprised
Adjective
  • Confused and more alarmed, Rippy walked toward Mack’s bedroom, reached in and found a light switch.
    Michael Gordon, Charlotte Observer, 17 Jan. 2025
  • Felecia, having once listened to a podcast that characterized the diagnosis as controversial, grew alarmed.
    Pamela Colloff, ProPublica, 29 Dec. 2024
Definition of alarmed
Verb
  • Harry and Meghan's house has jumped about 110 percent in value in the same time frame.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 3 Jan. 2025
  • All my heart goes out to my beautiful, brave nephew and the angels (my neighbors) who jumped to my aid and endured the chaos for 45 long minutes on the icy asphalt New Years morning.
    Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 3 Jan. 2025
Definition of jumped
Verb
  • However, most were stunned at Dawn's story.
    Dan Perry, Newsweek, 3 Jan. 2025
  • For the coveted shoot, the Olympic athlete stunned in a variety of looks.
    Angel Saunders, People.com, 3 Jan. 2025
Definition of stunned
Verb
  • Subway Violence Meanwhile, the incident is the latest in a series of high-profile crimes on New York subway trains that have shocked the city.
    Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 23 Dec. 2024
  • And the art world is no different — some artists are using it to help generate work, and others are shocked by its capabilities.
    Lucy Handley, CNBC, 23 Dec. 2024
Definition of shocked
Verb
  • The movie sees the revival of arch-villain Feathers McGraw, who terrified kids in 1993’s The Wrong Trousers.
    Max Goldbart, Deadline, 23 Dec. 2024
  • My Hugo would chase it and bark at it, or he'd be terrified.
    Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024
Definition of terrified
Adjective
  • She was both awed by and in some ways unsurprised by that possibility.
    Robert Lang, Deadline, 7 Jan. 2025
  • Give me pot-banging, Lady Liberty ticker-tape or scanning the Western sky, not for witches or UFOs, but together, awed by the eclipse.
    Caroline Aiken Koster, New York Daily News, 1 Jan. 2025
Definition of awed
Verb
  • The findings left scientists astonished.
    Scott Travers, Forbes, 4 Jan. 2025
  • In 2014, for instance, one researcher was astonished to watch a single sea otter devour roughly 30 European green crabs in an hour, per the Washington Post.
    Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Dec. 2024
Definition of astonished
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near startled

startle

startled

startlement

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Startled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/startled. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.

Copy Citation

Share

More from Merriam-Webster on startled

Nglish: Translation of startled for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of startled for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Using Bullet Points ( • )

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

More Commonly Misspelled Words
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Top 12 Sophisticated Compliments

Word of the Year 2024 | Polarization

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
white rubber duck stands out in a row of yellow ducks
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.