startling

adjective

star·​tling ˈstär-tᵊl-iŋ How to pronounce startling (audio)
ˈstärt-liŋ
Synonyms of startlingnext
: causing fright, surprise, or astonishment
a startling discovery
startlingly adverb

Synonyms of startling

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of startling in a Sentence

Startling new evidence came to light during the trial. He made a startling discovery. It is a city of startling contrasts.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Residents of a Newark, New Jersey, apartment complex got a startling wakeup call Sunday morning when police in tactical gear, responding to reports of multiple people shot, stormed their building. — Andrew Ramos, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026 In a live context, and with the limits imposed by a hardware-heavy setup, there’s more possibility that the process will throw out some startling mutation. — Will Pritchard, Pitchfork, 8 Aug. 2026 On the ground, the boom manifests as a loud, explosion-like bang that can be startling and sometimes crack windows. — Jacopo Prisco, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026 While on the surface, that’s a startling drop for a nameplate that has long defied the normal premium sports car depreciation curve. — Michael Harley, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for startling

Word History

First Known Use

1609, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of startling was in 1609

Browse Nearby Words

startler
startling
startlish
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Startling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/startling. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

startling

adjective
star·​tling
: causing a sudden fright, surprise, or astonishment
a startling discovery
startlingly
ˈstärt-liŋ-lē, 
-ᵊl-iŋ-
adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on startling

Nglish: Translation of startling for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All