Synonyms

startled

American

[stahr-tld] / ˈstɑr tld /

adjective

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.
expressing such surprise or alarm.

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

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of startle.

Other Word Forms

unstartled adjective

Etymology

Origin of startled

startle ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

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.

"The fracture caused a very loud snapping noise that actually startled me. I thought at first the machine had broken, but soon realized that the noise came from the stretching fluid."

From Science Daily • Mar. 30, 2026

US President Donald Trump on Thursday startled Japan's prime minister by mentioning the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, a seemingly light-hearted remark sure to elicit unease in a country now a firm US ally.

From Barron's • Mar. 19, 2026

Yvonne Ford, 59, from Barnsley, died four months after she was scratched by a stray dog she startled under her sun lounger on a beach during a holiday in Morocco last February.

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026

A presumption that there is an undercurrent of simmering rage in day-to-day life has taken hold in ways that might have startled past generations.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026

Warren was sitting on a box with his pocketknife and a whetstone and looked up, startled, as they came.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023