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Startle vs Flinch - What's the difference?

startle | flinch |

As verbs the difference between startle and flinch

is that startle is (label) to move suddenly, or be excited, on feeling alarm; to start while flinch is to make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a (usually negative) stimulus.

As nouns the difference between startle and flinch

is that startle is a sudden motion or shock caused by an unexpected alarm, surprise, or apprehension of danger while flinch is a reflexive jerking away.

startle

English

Verb

(startl)
  • (label) To move suddenly, or be excited, on feeling alarm; to start.
  • * (Joseph Addison) (1672-1719)
  • Why shrinks the soul / Back on herself, and startles at destruction?
  • (label) To excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension; to frighten suddenly and not seriously; to alarm; to surprise.
  • * (John Locke) (1632-1705)
  • The supposition, at least, that angels do sometimes assume bodies need not startle us.
  • * 1896 , (Joseph Conrad), "(An Outcast of the Islands)"
  • Nothing could startle her, make her scold or make her cry. She did not complain, she did not rebel.
  • * , title=Say Cheese and Die, Again!
  • , passage=The high voice in the night air startled me. Without thinking, I started to run. Then stopped. I spun around, my heart heaving against my chest. And saw a boy. About my age.}}
  • To deter; to cause to deviate.
  • (Clarendon)
  • *{{quote-book, year=1922, author=(Michael Arlen), title= “Piracy”: A Romantic Chronicle of These Days, chapter=Ep./4/2
  • , passage=As they turned into Hertford Street they startled a robin from the poet's head on a barren fountain, and he fled away with a cameo note.}}

    Synonyms

    * (to move suddenly) start * (to excite suddenly) alarm, frighten, scare, surprise * (deter) deter

    Derived terms

    * (l)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A sudden motion or shock caused by an unexpected alarm, surprise, or apprehension of danger.
  • * {{quote-book
  • , year=1845 , author=George Hooker Colton, James Davenport Whelpley , title=The American review , chapter=1 , passage=The figure of a man heaving in sight amidst these wide solitudes, always causes a startle and thrill of expectation and doubt, similar to the feeling produced by the announcement of " a strange sail ahead" on shipboard, during a long voyage.}}

    Derived terms

    * (l) * (l)

    See also

    * (l)

    Anagrams

    *

    flinch

    English

    Noun

    (es)
  • A reflexive jerking away.
  • My eye doctor hates the flinch I have every time he tries to get near my eyes.

    Verb

  • To make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a (usually negative) stimulus.
  • * John Locke
  • A child, by a constant course of kindness, may be accustomed to bear very rough usage without flinching or complaining.
  • To dodge (a question), to avoid an unpleasant task or duty
  • To let the foot slip from a ball, when attempting to give a tight croquet.
  • References