startling — Extremely surprising or shocking, causing sudden alarm or amazement. Something that catches one completely off guard.
Part of speech: ADJECTIVE
Definition: Extremely surprising or shocking, causing sudden alarm or amazement. Something that catches one completely off guard.
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈstɑrtlɪŋ/
Example Sentences
- My cat made a startling discovery - the vacuum cleaner doesn't actually eat cats.
- The startling resemblance between the twins confused everyone at the party.
- He woke up with the startling realization that he had been sleeping in someone else's bed.
startling
ADJECTIVE[/ˈstɑrtlɪŋ/]
Extremely surprising or shocking, causing sudden alarm or amazement. Something that catches one completely off guard.
Extremely surprising or shocking, causing sudden alarm or amazement. Something that catches one completely off guard.
Expecting her darling, but finding something snarling - truly startling!
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Old English 'steartlian' meaning 'to leap up' or 'to kick,' related to the sudden jumping motion when surprised. The '-ing' form describes something that causes this startled reaction.
Breakdown
startl- (to jump suddenly from surprise) + -ing (adjective suffix meaning 'causing' or 'having the quality of')
🎵Rhyme
📝Examples
“My cat made a startling discovery - the vacuum cleaner doesn't actually eat cats.”
“The startling resemblance between the twins confused everyone at the party.”
“He woke up with the startling realization that he had been sleeping in someone else's bed.”
“The startling increase in smartphone usage among elderly people surprised researchers.”
📚Related Words
Antonyms
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