startle

[ stahr-tl ]

verb (used with object)

, star·tled, star·tling.

1. to disturb or agitate suddenly as by surprise or alarm.

   Synonyms: astonish, frighten, scare

2. to cause to start involuntarily, by or as by a sudden shock.

verb (used without object)

, star·tled, star·tling.

1. to start involuntarily, as from a shock of surprise or alarm.

noun

1. a sudden shock of surprise, alarm, or the like.
2. something that startles.

startle

/ ˈstɑːtəl /

verb

1. to be or cause to be surprised or frightened, esp so as to start involuntarily

Derived Forms

• ˈstartler, noun

Other Words From

• star·tle·ment noun
• star·tler noun
• out·star·tle verb (used with object) outstartled outstartling

Word History and Origins

Origin of startle¹

First recorded before 1100; Middle English stertlen “to rush, caper,” equivalent to stert(en) “to begin, start” ( start + -(e)len -le, or continuing Old English steartlian “to kick, struggle”

Word History and Origins

Origin of startle¹

Old English steartlian to stumble; related to Middle High German starzen to strut, Norwegian sterta to strain oneself

Synonym Study

See shock ¹.

Example Sentences

"Nonetheless, this is a startling finding that suggests we need to be looking much more closely at whether pregnant individuals are getting the nutrients they need."

From Science Daily

That startling statistic - a year’s worth of rain had been dumped on some parts of Valencia in a matter of hours – became easy to believe as you took all this in.

From BBC

“It’s a scary time to be a trans person, and to hear so much really unfounded and startling rhetoric from that side, and to think that that may be pushed into actual legislation,” Poznanski said.

From Los Angeles Times

He played his boyhood rugby as a wing and still has a startling turn of pace.

From BBC

The poll of 808 likely voters also found that Harris has a startling lead among voters of 65, with 55% of respondents throwing in for the vice president to just 36% for Trump.

From Salon

Related Words

• agitate
• alarm
• amaze
• astonish
• astound
• awe
• scare
• shake up
• shock
• stagger
• stun
• terrify