startled

They’re easily startled and may arch their back and splay their hands, as if to say, “The world is stressful for me.”

This wild and impolitic work startled civilized Parisian salons with what sounded like sheer ugliness.

I think maybe I startled it, and then when I blew the whistle, I for sure startled it, and I think it was just curious at that point.

Around the corner, on Crosby Street, the people with RVs have been happy — if, initially, a bit startled — to see nearby restaurants, a supermarket and a gym bustling.

The deafening roar of the aircraft startled nearby livestock, sending cattle into panicked stampedes.