: extremely startling, distressing, or offensive
shocking news
Synonyms
Examples of shocking in a Sentence
The number of young teenagers who smoke is shocking.
a shocking waste of money
The building is in a shocking state.
Recent Examples on the Web
The result is a provocative, at times shocking and unsettling, overview of a surge of startup businesses that use to technology to unite the living with their deceased love ones.
—
Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2024
A lot has changed: Secrets are revealed, team rosters are shuffled, and characters meet shocking fates.
—Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 19 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for shocking 
Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2024
A lot has changed: Secrets are revealed, team rosters are shuffled, and characters meet shocking fates.
—Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 19 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for shocking
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'shocking.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near shocking
Cite this Entry
“Shocking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shocking. Accessed 4 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shocking
adjective
shock·ing
: causing horror or disgust
a shocking crime
shocking behavior
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