spooked 1 of 2

adjective

as in frightened
filled with fear or dread Ichabod Crane was so spooked that he left Sleepy Hollow for good

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spooked

2 of 2

verb

past tense of spook
as in scared
to strike with fear the sudden noise spooked her out of her skin

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of spooked
Adjective
Know what would make Whitney less spooked? — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 10 June 2026 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
Know More Saudi Arabia has been working on several measures in a bid to boost trading volumes on the stock exchange and reenergize new stock listings that had been faltering even before the Iran war spooked investors. — Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 26 Aug. 2026 Ukraine’s neighbors are on alert Russia’s relentless onslaught has spooked other European countries, especially those bordering Ukraine, which fear spreading attacks from Moscow. — Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026 Kontras believes the case of the patterning was simply because the buck had seldom, if ever, been spooked by a man. — Jeff Murray, Outdoor Life, 20 Aug. 2026 Shortly after, Rebecca gets the bad news that Pinter & Sons, spooked by the meeting, have pulled its sponsorship from the women’s team. — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 19 Aug. 2026 While there was no specific fundamental catalyst for this rotation, climbing bond yields and oil prices may have spooked some traders out of momentum names. — Kevin Stankiewicz,jeff Marks, CNBC, 18 Aug. 2026 That should reassure investors who were spooked by softer attendance at Universal’s domestic parks when Comcast reported earnings last month. — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2026 Roo, who was microchipped, had recently been adopted before getting spooked and running away. — Kat Filardi, USA Today, 1 Aug. 2026 On one side were animal rights activists who said carriage horses are overworked, get easily spooked on city streets, live in inadequate stables and are controlled by abusive owners and drivers. — Barry Williams, New York Daily News, 25 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spooked
  1. frightened
  2. scared
  3. terrified
  4. startled
  5. afraid
  6. horrified
  7. alarmed
  8. shocked
Adjective
  • In the second test, 12 dogs were shown happy faces, as well as sad, frightened, and angry ones.
    — Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Hilton’s sister, Barbara Giarraffa, frightened fans and TikTok moderators were among those who called authorities.
    — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of frightened
Verb
  • This would have been less than a mile from the nesting pine and might have scared the eagles away.
    — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Durkin went 21-for-22 from less than 50 yards out, for those scared by Trey Smack’s 30-yard misses.
    — Noah White, Miami Herald, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of scared
Adjective
  • Instead, coaches have become more and more terrified through the years of seeing their players getting hurt during largely meaningless games in August.
    — Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Tempe police ultimately convinced the couple, who were initially too terrified to report the incident, to share what had happened to them, documents said.
    — Perry Vandell, AZCentral.com, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of terrified
Verb
  • Of those who were injured, officials said that many were hurt while falling down or hitting themselves against furniture after being startled by the earthquake while sleeping.
    — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 23 Aug. 2026
  • There’s nothing worse than waking up in the middle of a super restful sleep cycle, whether you are startled by the neighbor’s dog or an unwanted text message.
    — Alexandra Frost, USA Today, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of startled
Adjective
  • The most impressive trick Paranormal Activity pulls off is making an entire theater — devotees and newcomers alike — afraid to look away, and giving them one hell of a good time while doing it.
    — Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
  • What’s left is a vaguely political YouTube series afraid of its own tail, incapable of being actually relatable and too cowardly to own the batshit truths of these people’s lives.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of afraid
Adjective
  • When Tae-ha starts a fire that erupts into an explosion, a horrified Eun-sae begins to remember her life before amnesia.
    — Kayti Burt, Time, 7 Aug. 2026
  • In one early scene, a horrified Pam stares into her bathroom mirror, covered head to toe in blood.
    — Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 13 July 2026
Definition of horrified
Adjective
  • The proposal to paint the building has alarmed preservationists, architects, historians and others who argue that granite is not meant to be painted and that paint would trap moisture and degrade the stone.
    — Gary Fields, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Chan's death comes after celebrity blogger Perez Hilton also alarmed fans on a TikTok livestream when police were called to his home after reports of self-harm.
    — Moises Mendez II, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of alarmed
Adjective
  • The man who was shocked was taken to Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan with life-threatening injuries.
    — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 18 Aug. 2026
  • But something fascinating was happening behind the scenes, coinciding with the disaster that had sent Olin overseas and left her bandmates, Augustin and Nathan Slone — located in New York City — shocked.
    — Julius Miller, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of shocked

Browse Nearby Words

spook
spooked
spooking
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Cite this Entry

“Spooked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spooked. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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