Surprised and slightly frightened.

simple past tense and past participle of startle

(intransitive) To move suddenly, or be excited, on feeling alarm; to start.

A sudden motion or shock caused by an unexpected alarm, surprise, or apprehension of danger.

present participle and gerund of startle

Likely to startle; surprising; shocking.

A startle; a sudden motion or shock.

plural of startle

Third-person singular simple present indicative form of startle

plural of startling