spooked
Suddenly made nervous
Spooked means startled or frightened, especially in a sudden, skittish way.
Horses spook easily at unexpected sounds.
The past tense works as an adjective: The spooked cat bolted under the bed.
In informal use, spooked often describes nervousness or unease rather than outright fear: Investors got spooked by the earnings report.
Feeling fear or alarm
- terrifiedExtremely frightened
- petrifiedSolidified or fear-paralyzed
- alarmedFeeling sudden fear
- panickedOverwhelmed by sudden fear
fearful · horrified · trembling · shaking · cowering · quaking · shivering · wide-eyed
Uneasy and apprehensive
- jitteryAnxiously restless
- edgyTense and irritable
- unsettledNot yet resolved
- anxiousTroubled by uncertainty
wary · on edge · apprehensive · tense · restless · agitated · fidgety · antsy
Unreasonably suspicious of others
- distrustfulLacking faith in others
- watchfulCarefully attentive, observant
- alertWarning or watchfulness
- skittishProne to nervous fright
guarded · hypervigilant · conspiracy · surveilled · followed · shadow · lurking · stranger
Occupied by ghosts
- supernaturalBeyond natural explanation
- eerieDisturbingly strange
- apparitionVisible supernatural manifestation
- phantomInsubstantial apparition
specter · spirit · poltergeist · wraith · ghoul · banshee · otherworldly · paranormal
scared
Feeling fear or alarm
panicked · fearful · horrified · trembling · shaking · cowering · quaking · shivering · wide-eyed · frozen
nervous
Uneasy and apprehensive
anxious · wary · on edge · apprehensive · tense · restless · agitated · fidgety · antsy · uncomfortable
paranoid
Unreasonably suspicious of others
- distrustfulLacking faith in others
- watchfulCarefully attentive, observant
- alertWarning or watchfulness
skittish · guarded · hypervigilant · conspiracy · surveilled · followed · shadow · lurking · stranger · intruder
haunted
Occupied by ghosts
- supernaturalBeyond natural explanation
- eerieDisturbingly strange
- apparitionVisible supernatural manifestation
phantom · specter · spirit · poltergeist · wraith · ghoul · banshee · otherworldly · paranormal · uncanny
jumped
Moved by springing
- flinchedRecoiled involuntarily from threat
- joltedAbruptly shaken or startled
- gaspedBreathed in sharply
twitched · surprised · shocked · sudden · unexpected · reflex · recoiled · jerked · snapped · caught off guard
spookedcalm
Free from agitation
composed · unruffled · unperturbed · serene · tranquil
- spooky stories
- spooky seasonAutumn's eerie celebration period
- spook outCause unease or fear
- spooked out