Meanings
comparative more startled · superlative most startled
- Surprised and slightly frightened.
The burnt and bleeding man staggered to his feet, dazed and unbelieving, and asked the startled townspeople who came running whether his fireman and guard were safe. He was kept away from the smouldering crater where his engine had been, and taken to hospital.
2022 January 12, Benedict le Vay, “The heroes of Soham...”, in RAIL, number 948, page 43Synonyms: spooked
- participlepastsimple past and past participle of startle
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveSurprised and slightly frightened.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveexcited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Dutch geschrokken
- geschrokkensurprised and slightly frightened
Finnish pelästynyt, säikähtänyt
- pelästynytsurprised and slightly frightened
- säikähtänytsurprised and slightly frightened
French effarouché, surpris
- effarouchésurprised and slightly frightened
- surprissurprised and slightly frightened
German erschrocken
- erschrockensurprised and slightly frightened
Italian spaventato
- spaventatosurprised and slightly frightened
Romanian surprins
- surprinssurprised and slightly frightened
Russian испу́ганный, напу́ганный
- испу́ганный (ispúgannyj)surprised and slightly frightened
- напу́ганный (napúgannyj)surprised and slightly frightened
- испуга́вшийся (ispugávšijsja)surprised and slightly frightened
Spanish sorprendido, sobresaltado
- sorprendidosurprised and slightly frightened
- sobresaltadosurprised and slightly frightened
- sobrecogidosurprised and slightly frightened
Swedish skrämd, överraska
- skrämdsurprised and slightly frightened
- överraskasurprised and slightly frightened
Ukrainian зля́каний
- зля́каний (zljákanyj)surprised and slightly frightened
Cite this entry
startled. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/startled
“startled.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/startled. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “startled,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/startled.
Source: startled on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.