startling

1 of 2

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

startling

2 of 2

present participle of startle entry 1

Synonyms of startling

Relevance

Adjective

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of startling in a Sentence

Adjective 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.
Adjective
The magazine published several letters from readers noting a startling resemblance between 9-year-old Charles, Prince of Wales, and Neuman. — John Ficarra, New York Daily News, 27 Oct. 2026 Adventure has a habit of turning strangers into friends with startling speed. — Chloe Frost-Smith, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2026 To the cybersecurity community, this was just the latest in a series of startling escalations. — Julia Black, Vanity Fair, 27 Oct. 2026 Miller was a startling minus-37 in plus-minus ratio for the game. — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 24 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for startling

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

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 1 Nov. 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Pyrrhic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'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

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All