- present participle of startle.
startling
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of startling
Explanation
Something that's startling is so unexpected that it shocks or surprises you. It would be startling to open your front door and see a clown standing there. Startling events or circumstances aren't necessarily frightening, though they can be. A surprise party, if it's planned right, is startling, and it can be startling the first time you meet your best friend's identical twin sister. Alarm clocks, smoke alarms, and barking dogs can all be equally startling. They startle you — and startle comes from start, with its Old English root styrtan, "to leap up."
Vocabulary lists containing startling
Amazing
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Marvelous
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Amazing
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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.
“I watched through all hours of the night and at one point screamed into my phone ‘YOU’VE GOT THIS, JACKIE!’ startling my entire family awake.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
His words were startling, to say the least, but Schwartz’s description of the president’s true personality was revelatory.
From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2026
Even at 5-foot-10, he drives the ball far enough to keep up and does so with startling accuracy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
The bat fell onto a table at the Yellow Deli in Vista, startling patrons.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
However, he ended up startling Roz, who had been quietly approaching this whole time.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
