startled

[stahr-tld]

adjective

1. disturbed or agitated suddenly, as by surprise or alarm.

   Seeing startled herons and egrets flee at the sound of 35 teenagers was a highlight for kids who rarely see birds in their natural habitat.

2. expressing such surprise or alarm.

   A startled cry escaped my throat as I was roughly pulled to my feet by the bodyguard.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of startle.

Other Word Forms

• unstartled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of startled¹

startle ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

If they acted startled, he would also look startled.

From Salon

I flushed when she said my name, and I startled easily and often when she tried to spook me.

From Salon

News of his killing hit the White House hard, starting with the startled gasps of young staffers who saw news of the shooting while scrolling on their phones.

From BBC

She says the guides told her the guards were needed to "prevent situations where we interacted with locals and startled them".

From BBC

In video posted to social media, large flames can be seen rising from a check-in desk as a number of startled passengers look on.

From BBC

Related Words

• scared 
• shocked www.thesaurus.com
• spooked www.thesaurus.com
• stunned 
• surprised www.thesaurus.com