Term Gallery logo

Meanings of startle reaction in English

A complicated involuntary reaction to a sudden unexpected stimulus (especially a loud noise); involves flexion of most skeletal muscles and a variety of visceral reactions.

See more

Organism's immediate response to a change in its environment.

Synonyms
Examples for "orienting response"
Examples for "orienting response"
1
Results are discussed in terms of comparison processing, context updating and orienting response patterning hypotheses put forward in cognitive psychophysiology.
Pubmed
Usage of startle reaction in English
1
He deserved something from her, even if it was a startled reaction.
Heaven and the heather
2
This prompted a startled reaction from both Venner and Kara.
Sagittarius Is Bleeding
3
She jerked back her hand at my startled reaction.
Songs of love and death: all-original tales of star-crossed love
4
It was a shoulder tap so gentle that my startled reaction was a tad excessive.
The Irish Times
5
She jumped in startled reaction, laughed out loud, tossed him a last sweet smile, and left.
Faith
6
I didn't have time to do more than yelp and go into a full-body twitch of pure, startled reaction.
Ghost Story
7
He could not have failed to note my startled reaction, which had to have given him a completely false impression.
The Great Book of Amber
8
Sometimes he did one of those things when a nurse was in the room, because their startled reactions were amusing.
End of Watch
9
There was another gunman there, whose startled reaction to his appearance was probably the closest Holsten had yet come to actually being shot.
Children of Time
10
The owner's startled reaction to a visit by an inspector from the CID suggested that he was guilty, though not necessarily of murder.
The Information Officer
11
Ben Hanscom threw his-nota calculated throw but the startled reaction of a person who has been utterly surprised by some piece of nasty work.
IT
12
"Rose?" he managed to croak after chewing and swallowing and quite possibly stalling for time to cover his initial startled reaction.
When twilight comes