startling(形容词):令人吃惊的;令人震惊的;出乎意料的。(常指某事突然或程度很大,以至于让人惊讶。)
/ˈstɑːr.tlɪŋ/(美式常见)
/ˈstɑː.tlɪŋ/(英式常见)
The sudden noise was startling.
突如其来的噪音令人吃惊。
It was startling to realize how quickly the city had changed in just a few years.
意识到这座城市在短短几年里变化如此之快,令人震惊。
startling 来自动词 startle(使受惊吓),而 startle 与 start(突然跳动/惊起)有关,带有“突然一动、被吓一跳”的核心感觉。加上形容词后缀 -ing,表示“会让人产生这种反应的”(令人受惊的、令人吃惊的)。