start‧ling /ˈstɑːtlɪŋ $ ˈstɑːrt-/
adjective very unusual or surprising:
Paddy’s words had a startling effect on the children. a startling discoveryit is startling to do something It is startling to read that his father never visited him in hospital.—startlingly adverb [TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲