shock value
noun
: usefulness to surprise and usually upset people
He uses offensive language for (its) shock value.
Examples of shock value in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Partly because there's money in the shock value.
—
H. Alan Scott, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
What keeps the enterprise afloat, behind the initial shock value of its premise, is the simple, unexpected sweetness of its characters, who are funny and sharp and worth rooting for, despite their tendency to indulge in their most base instincts.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 13 Aug. 2025
While folks all over the country try to fry all kinds of thing for shock value, these 10 Southern classics are better than anything out there.
—Josh Miller, Southern Living, 3 Aug. 2025
Today, learning that a restaurant calls itself farm-to-table holds about as much shock value as hearing my server explain that everything at said restaurant is meant to be enjoyed family style.
—Oset Babür-Winter, Vogue, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for shock value
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H. Alan Scott, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Aug. 2025
What keeps the enterprise afloat, behind the initial shock value of its premise, is the simple, unexpected sweetness of its characters, who are funny and sharp and worth rooting for, despite their tendency to indulge in their most base instincts.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 13 Aug. 2025
While folks all over the country try to fry all kinds of thing for shock value, these 10 Southern classics are better than anything out there.
—Josh Miller, Southern Living, 3 Aug. 2025
Today, learning that a restaurant calls itself farm-to-table holds about as much shock value as hearing my server explain that everything at said restaurant is meant to be enjoyed family style.
—Oset Babür-Winter, Vogue, 8 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for shock value
Cite this Entry
“Shock value.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shock%20value. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.
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