Afraid
Afraid adjective - Filled with fear or dread.
Usage example: Melissa is afraid of flying, so she takes a train from Boston to visit her brother in Chicago
Startled
Startled adjective - Excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement.
Show all Definitions
Synonyms for Startled
Afraid is a synonym for startled in frightened topic. You can use "Afraid" instead an adjective "Startled".
Mutual synonyms
Related pairs
Both words in one sentence
- The first time Zakalwe has sex with a Culture woman, he is really startled and afraid she's having a horrible, agonising allergic reaction to his bodily fluids.
Source: Literature / The Culture -
Security Cling: Kiri does this to Narumi when we find out she's afraid of A: the dark and B: cockroaches (though possibly she was just startled by the second one).
Source: Manga / Beauty Pop - Flatline: "I was actually too startled to be afraid." Metroidvania: When executed correctly, will cause Flatline to gush like a swooning schoolgirl.
Source: Lets Play / Liquid Courage
Cite this Source
Startled and Afraid. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 15, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/afraid/startled
Afraid & Startled. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/afraid/startled>.
Startled or Afraid. 2016. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/afraid/startled.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "afraid" and "startled" have occurred on timeline