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Startle vs Terrorise - What's the difference?

startle | terrorise |

In transitive terms the difference between startle and terrorise

is that startle is to excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension; to frighten suddenly and not seriously; to alarm; to surprise while terrorise is to coerce (someone) by using threats or violence.

As verbs the difference between startle and terrorise

is that startle is to move suddenly, or be excited, on feeling alarm; to start while terrorise is to inflict someone with terror; to terrify.

As a noun startle

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

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

    *

    terrorise

    English

    Alternative forms

    * terrorize

    Verb

    (terroris)
  • To inflict someone with terror; to terrify.
  • * , Episode 16
    • Though unusual in the Dublin area he knew that it was not by any means unknown for desperadoes who had next to nothing to live on to be abroad waylaying and generally terrorising peaceable pedestrians by placing a pistol at their head…
  • To coerce (someone) by using threats or violence.

    • Synonyms

    * (fill with terror ) petrify, terrify * (coerce by threats or violence ) bully, hector

    Related terms

    * terrorism * terrorist

    Anagrams

    * ----