People get startled as a reflexive response to unexpected stimuli, which is rooted in the body's fight-or-flight mechanism. This instinctive reaction prepares an individual to respond to potential threats by triggering a surge of adrenaline, increasing heart rate, and heightening awareness. Startling can also be a social or psychological response, as it often reflects surprise or fear in reaction to sudden movements or loud noises. Overall, it serves as a protective mechanism to help humans react quickly to their environment.
The spelling is startled, as in The trick STARTLED him.
Yes, "startled" is the past participle of startle.
Startled is the verb in your sentence.
Startled means to be in shock or amaze of something.
more startled most startled
Deer and rabbits are easily startled.
You startled me, because I hadn't heard you come home.
The is the past tense of the VERB to startle.
The startled deer zigzagged out of the underbrush and was gone in a flash.
He glanced over my shoulder with a startled expression.
Surprised almost means the same as startled.
The problem with the wording in "Startled by the noise, the alarm clock was knocked on the floor" is that it makes it sound like the alarm clock was startled. It would be better written: "Startled by the alarm clock, I knocked it on the floor."