startling
adjective
star·tling
ˈstärt-liŋ 
ˈstär-tᵊl-iŋ
: causing momentary fright, surprise, or astonishment
a startling discovery
startlingly
adverb
Synonyms
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
There were startling scenes just over two months ago when several horses covered in blood, ran through streets in London’s financial district.
—
Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN, 1 July 2024
But Trump also spoke with more confidence, and the contrast in energy — Trump revved up, Biden halting — was startling to many viewers.
—Benjamin Oreskes, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2024
This adds to the suspense and leads to very loud, startling jump scares that could be too much for some young children to handle.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 28 June 2024
The lead levels, on the other hand, were a startling 64 to 95 times higher than the hair of someone today.
—Ari Daniel, NPR, 27 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for startling 
Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN, 1 July 2024
But Trump also spoke with more confidence, and the contrast in energy — Trump revved up, Biden halting — was startling to many viewers.
—Benjamin Oreskes, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2024
This adds to the suspense and leads to very loud, startling jump scares that could be too much for some young children to handle.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 28 June 2024
The lead levels, on the other hand, were a startling 64 to 95 times higher than the hair of someone today.
—Ari Daniel, NPR, 27 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for startling
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'startling.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near startling
Cite this Entry
“Startling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/startling. Accessed 4 Jul. 2024.
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