as in frightened
filled with fear or dread
Ichabod Crane was so spooked that he left Sleepy Hollow for good
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in scared
to strike with fear
the sudden noise spooked her out of her skin
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of spooked
Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2026
Olivia Fishlow, Bloomberg, 25 Apr. 2026
Instead of focusing on those numbers, investors are spooked by signs of a softening property insurance market, with competition increasing and rates declining.
—Contessa Brewer,dawn Giel, CNBC, 22 Apr. 2026
There are some who will speculate that he got spooked by the mention of his existence.
—Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2026
He’s also spooked by the city’s looming budget deficit and the possibility of the state legislature slashing property taxes.
—Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2026
Supporters of the measure include Lisa Baca of the Monteverde Ranch Equestrian Center in the northeast San Fernando Valley, who said horses are animals that can easily be spooked by facing moving e-bikes.
—Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
New York — Computer science and engineering students at the University of Washington, spooked about AI, returned from spring break last week to a surprising email from the department head.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2026
The war’s financial toll has spooked the president’s economic advisers, a fear that will grow if the war is prolonged.
—Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2026
The unprecedented leap at Sunshine Farm in Necedah, Wisconsin, last week was precipitated by some stray dogs that rushed the enclosure and spooked the 16-month-old Chesney, said his keeper, Debbie Marland.
—CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
The Grammy Award-winning superstar took to Instagram to share her experience, which left her spooked and unable to sleep.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2026
Verb
Souring sentiment toward the vehicles’ non-traded peers, which have been hit with more than $15 billion in redemption requests from investors, also spooked public market shareholders, creating a buying opportunity for some investors.
—Olivia Fishlow, Bloomberg, 25 Apr. 2026
Instead of focusing on those numbers, investors are spooked by signs of a softening property insurance market, with competition increasing and rates declining.
—Contessa Brewer,dawn Giel, CNBC, 22 Apr. 2026
There are some who will speculate that he got spooked by the mention of his existence.
—Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 20 Apr. 2026
He’s also spooked by the city’s looming budget deficit and the possibility of the state legislature slashing property taxes.
—Amanda Rosa, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2026
Supporters of the measure include Lisa Baca of the Monteverde Ranch Equestrian Center in the northeast San Fernando Valley, who said horses are animals that can easily be spooked by facing moving e-bikes.
—Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2026
New York — Computer science and engineering students at the University of Washington, spooked about AI, returned from spring break last week to a surprising email from the department head.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Money, 8 Apr. 2026
The war’s financial toll has spooked the president’s economic advisers, a fear that will grow if the war is prolonged.
—Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 1 Apr. 2026
The unprecedented leap at Sunshine Farm in Necedah, Wisconsin, last week was precipitated by some stray dogs that rushed the enclosure and spooked the 16-month-old Chesney, said his keeper, Debbie Marland.
—CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spooked
Adjective
-
Fetch Foster Rescue has taken in animals from households whose homes were completely destroyed, and the organization’s immediate focus is keeping those frightened pets as relaxed as possible while storm cleanup continues across the community.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Witnesses describe the dogs as frightened and wary rather than dangerous — a pair of scared animals looking for food, not a fight.—
Ryan Brennan
April 21,
Miami Herald,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
After the goring, the animal retreated back into the reserve when scared off by other patrol members.—
Ryan Brennan
April 27,
Miami Herald,
27 Apr. 2026
-
After the goring, the rhino retreated back into the reserve when other patrol members scared it off.—
Ryan Brennan
April 27,
Kansas City Star,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The key cabin crew are flight attendants Penny (Lucy Barrett) and Zoe (Na Shi), both of whom demonstrate bravery, to different ends, and show caring attention to the terrified children.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Though Ridley Scott works in a drastically different tone than the one John Carpenter brought to Dark Star, the two films share screenwriter Dan O’Bannon’s darkly comedic view of a future that has reduced humans to alternately bored and terrified cogs in larger machines.—
Keith Phipps,
Vulture,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The gunfire startled sleeping guests at the Citizen Hotel, which included a wedding party and fans of the rapper Tyler the Creator, who performed at a concert hours earlier.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Littrell walked up to the man, who appeared to be startled by the singer's presence.—
Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Umpires, afraid of being overturned, or at least, more aware of the new zone and its limitations, have been calling fewer strikes.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Almost half are personally afraid of losing their job to AI, ranking it among the most acute individual stressors measured in the survey.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Let’s not confuse slightly horrified admiration for Irina’s determination with admiration for her as a person.—
Sophie Brookover,
Vulture,
24 Apr. 2026
-
As the scene was projected onto a screen, Jude seemed slightly horrified to see himself in front of the camera rather than behind it.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
When the shots rang out, the first lady looked alarmed.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The company in March Nielsen delayed the release of the February results of its popular tabulation after some clients became alarmed by a downturn in streaming audiences following a decision by the measurement giant to add new data to its mix.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The pair shared a sweet slideshow on Instagram in December 2023 that showed Wilson getting down on one knee in front of a Christmas tree to ask a shocked van der Pol to marry him.—
Brendan Le,
PEOPLE,
28 Apr. 2026
-
His death has left many shocked and outraged.—
Naveen Dhaliwal,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spooked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spooked. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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