flabbergasted

adjective

flab·​ber·​gast·​ed ˈfla-bər-ˌga-stəd 

: feeling or showing intense shock, surprise, or wonder : utterly astonished

Every second person wore a blank flabbergasted expression, having just offered some gratuitous insult to a stranger, or, perhaps, received one.

—Myles na gCopaleen (Flann O'Brien)

That was the highlight of our career, when Vince Gill walked on stage one night and asked us to be the next members. We were flabbergasted, just speechless …

—Steve Wildsmith

But if the findings, published in 1996, surprised most scientists, recent research has left them flabbergasted.

—Sandra Blakeslee

Synonyms

• amazed
• astonished
• astounded
• awestruck
• awestricken
• bowled over
• dumbfounded
• dumfounded
• dumbstruck
• shocked
• stunned
• stupefied
• thunderstruck

Examples of flabbergasted in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The network’s employees were not only flabbergasted and demoralized by the move, but absolutely enraged by it. —Oliver Darcy, CNN, 26 Mar. 2024

What you’re entitled to if your flight is delayed Aside from flabbergasted amusement if your trip is held up by a swarm of bees, you may be entitled to some form of compensation depending on the length and cause of your delay. —Zach Wichter, USA TODAY, 4 May 2023

The staff’s flabbergasted reaction is an instance of the characters’ not so much breaking the fourth wall as routinely banging their heads against it. —Niela Orr, New York Times, 29 Mar. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1773, in the meaning defined above