How to Use startling in a Sentence

startling

adjective
Definition of startlingnext
Synonyms for startlingnext
  • The stats are startling to Chen, who is bracing for a swell of need there.
    — Parija Kavilanz, CNN, 25 Oct. 2023
  • The film remains chaotic and startling through the end.
    — Eisa Nefertari Ulen, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Apr. 2024
  • The trick is to wear colors startling enough that on a gray day you won’t be mistaken for part of the hedge.
    — Ellen Hawley, WSJ, 10 Nov. 2023
  • Its pace of improvement over just the past year has been startling.
    — Dev Patnaik, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2023
  • But the startling thing is the 12-month gain of that index through May was only 1.2 percent.
    — Jeff Sommer, New York Times, 14 July 2023
  • The planned 17-minute display became a startling, fiery fusillade of less than a minute.
    — Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 July 2023
  • All of a sudden, Jody approaches the car and knocks on the window, startling Colt.
    — Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 3 May 2024
  • The clamor of the crowd must have been startling, too, as well as the commotion of bats among the oaks and hickories and the brilliance of the sky.
    — Discover Magazine, 14 June 2024
  • Stubbs saw something startling while searching the home.
    — Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 9 Dec. 2023
  • 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
  • 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
  • Now, the startling long-term repercussions of the scandal are revealed.
    — Tristan Balagtas, Peoplemag, 31 May 2023
  • Clegg was almost startling in his effusive praise of the board.
    — Steven Levy, WIRED, 8 Nov. 2022
  • The other main reason is that the on/off numbers are still pretty startling.
    — Adam Himmelsbach, BostonGlobe.com, 20 Feb. 2023
  • While the scary moments can be startling and loud, most are not for sustained for long periods of time.
    — Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 26 July 2023
  • Some of the most startling statistics are amongst children.
    — Chris Brown, Orlando Sentinel, 16 June 2024
  • For some startling numbers that show just how broken parts of the child care system are, check out a link in today's show notes.
    — Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 13 May 2024
  • And while the most costly and least costly states to live may not be a surprise, the difference between them is startling.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, WWD, 5 July 2024
  • When the world’s largest four-day workweek trial concluded a year ago, the results were startling.
    — Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 22 Feb. 2024
  • In a startling turn, after months of investigating, Alex was charged with the murders of his wife and youngest son.
    — Christine Pelisek, Peoplemag, 24 Feb. 2024
  • Among the most startling findings in the new report is the jump in suicide rates compared to past generations.
    — Anne Flaherty, ABC News, 30 Nov. 2023
  • There are many unwelcome pests that can enter our homes, but one of the most startling to discover is a rat.
    — Brandi Fuller, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Aug. 2023
  • In 1990, that a woman in her mid-twenties would address a belittling man in this way felt startling and new.
    — Ann Powers, NPR, 19 Apr. 2024
  • Eerie on its own or layered with a garland, these novelty lights are a little startling—but that’s the whole point.
    — Sarah Wolf Halverson, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Sep. 2023
  • The Hawkeyes are defined by player of the year candidate Caitlin Clark, she of the logo 3-point shooting and startling court awareness.
    — Chuck Carlton, Dallas News, 28 Mar. 2023
  • During a recent visit, the contrast between the roar of the nearby 2 Freeway and the sound of birds chatting in the garden was startling.
    — Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2024
  • In these illusions, in this startling emptiness, all of life's baggage fell away.
    — Stanley Stewart, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Mar. 2024
  • The flip side of Ukraine’s startling unity and spirit was Russia’s incompetence in the field of battle.
    — Jordan Michael Smith, The New Republic, 2 June 2023
  • Still, the results were startling when I was shown a comparison clip alongside an iPhone 14 Pro.
    — WIRED, 4 Oct. 2023
  • But Trump also spoke with more confidence, and the contrast in energy — Trump revved up, Biden halting — was startling to many viewers.
    — Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 1 July 2024

Some of 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.

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