What is another word for startles?

Pronunciation: [stˈɑːtə͡lz] (IPA)

When something "startles" us, it means we are suddenly frightened or surprised. However, there are various synonyms for this word that can be used interchangeably depending on the context. These include "shock," "jolt," "frighten," "surprise," "alarm," "spook," "awaken," "rouse," "galvanize," "terrify," "petrify," and "start." For instance, while "jolt" may be appropriate when referring to a sudden physical impact, "terrify" would be more appropriate when talking about a particularly intense or threatening scare. In essence, using these "startles" synonyms, one can vary their vocabulary and add depth to their writing while still conveying the same message.

Usage examples for Startles

Now, these principles are the ample justification of all that startles us in the Pentateuch.
"The Expositor's Bible: The Book of Exodus"
G. A. Chadwick
"Dorothy looks so much like the Ethels that it startles me sometimes," remarked Mr. Emerson, looking after them before some one else claimed his hand.
"Ethel Morton at Chautauqua"
Mabell S. C. Smith
But one evening, as he is sitting in front of a scanty fire repeating the Lord's Prayer, the cry as of a little child startles him from his devotion.
"George Eliot"
Mathilde Blind

Famous quotes with Startles

  • From the wrestling of his own soul with the great enemy, comes that depth and mystery which startles us in Hamlet.
    Jones Very
  • Our trouble is sore indeed when you turn away and will not comfort us. How long the dawn seems coming when we cannot sleep! Oh! those hideous nights when we toss and turn in fever and pain, when we lie, like living men among the dead, staring out into the dark hours that drift so slowly between us and the light. And oh! those still more hideous nights when we sit by another in pain, when the low fire startles us every now and then with a falling cinder, and the tick of the clock seems a hammer beating out the life that we are watching.
    Jerome K. Jerome
  • I scarcely remember counting upon happiness — I look not for it if it be not in the present hour — nothing startles me beyond the moment. The setting sun will always set me to rights, or if a sparrow come before my Window I take part in its existence and pick about the gravel.
    John Keats

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