startle
verb (used with object)
to disturb or agitate suddenly as by surprise or alarm.
are startling
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present progressiveof startle.present progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or state that is currently taking place in the immediate present.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
No one is in mourning for that, not even daughter Deborah Brashers, whose recollections about childhood with a criminal father are startling.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026
Some of the statistics around Mora are startling.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2025
The findings are startling, both for the clarity of the evidence and for their disturbing similarities to today’s ecological crisis.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2023
The meager federal and lack of D.C. funds to help any of these destitute people are startling.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 29, 2022
Such rapid argument and extreme conclusions are startling indeed, but, in his haste, our critic has forgotten to state the whole case.
From Supernatural Religion, Vol. I. (of III) An Inquiry into the Reality of Divine Revelation by Walter Richard Cassels
