startlingly

/ˈstɑːrtlɪŋli/

Say it: STAR-tling-lee

adverb In a way that causes sudden shock, surprise, or alarm; to an unexpected degree.
The resemblance between the two strangers was startlingly close.
🇪🇸 sorprendentemente

📖 Seen in the wild

Because the nineteenth-century naturalist's notebooks were intended solely for personal reference, their entries are often startlingly introspective, recording not only meticulous observations of flora and fauna but also frank reflections on his own intellectual misgivings.
collected by @missha

✏️ startlingly in a sentence

Her insights into the company's problems were startlingly perceptive for a new hire.
The quiet library was suddenly filled with a startlingly loud crash.
The landscape, once barren, was now startlingly green after the heavy rains.
He gave a startlingly honest account of his struggles during the interview.
For such a small animal, it had a startlingly powerful bite.
The new policy proved to be startlingly unpopular with nearly every employee.
The artist's early work is startlingly different from her more famous later pieces.

🔁 Synonyms & antonyms

surprisingly astonishingly shockingly alarmingly remarkably extraordinarily unusually amazingly

surprisingly · generally implies a milder, less jarring sense of the unexpected.

astonishingly · suggests amazement or wonder, often at something impressive or hard to believe.

shockingly · carries a stronger, often negative, connotation of being offensive, upsetting, or scandalous.

alarmingly · specifically implies that the surprise causes worry or fear.

Opposites: predictably, expectedly, unsurprisingly, ordinarily, commonly

🌱 Where it comes from

The word comes from the verb "startle," which has roots in Old English meaning to rush or leap about. Over time, it came to mean causing someone else to make a sudden, involuntary movement from fright or surprise. Adding the adverbial suffix "-ly" creates "startlingly," meaning in a manner that causes such a surprise.

🧩 How it's used

Common patterns:

startlingly accuratestartlingly differentstartlingly effectivestartlingly beautifulstartlingly originalstartlingly similar

"Startlingly" is a strong adverb used to emphasize a surprising quality. It is more intense than "surprisingly" but often less negative than "shockingly." It typically modifies adjectives (startlingly beautiful, startlingly accurate) to highlight an unexpected degree of that quality. Because it is an emphatic word, it is most effective when used sparingly.

Word family: startle, startling, startled

💬 Quick answers

What does startlingly mean?

It means in a way that is very surprising, shocking, or alarming. It emphasizes that something happens to an unexpected or intense degree.

What's the difference between startlingly and surprisingly?

"Startlingly" implies a greater and more sudden sense of shock than "surprisingly". Something startling might make you metaphorically jump, while something surprising is merely unexpected.

Is startlingly a positive or negative word?

It can be neutral, positive, or negative depending on the context. For example, "startlingly beautiful" is positive, while "startlingly high prices" is negative.

How is startlingly used in a sentence?

It is an adverb that almost always modifies an adjective or another adverb to add emphasis, as in "The report was startlingly accurate" or "He recovered startlingly quickly."

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