shocked

adjective

ˈshäkt 

1

a

: affected by shock : stricken with sudden mental or emotional disturbance

"Oh, no!" Mrs. Quimby was shocked. "How much is that going to cost?"

—Beverly Cleary

… I am so shocked to see him that I do not know what to do.

—Jane Austen

b

: showing or expressing shock

Her voice faltered as she saw the shocked amazement on her father's face.

—Mary Norton

In place of a roar at the end of the year's most anticipated race, there was only a shocked silence.

—Tim Layden

2

of a mineral : having a crystal structure that has been deformed by exposure to sudden extremely high pressure (as from a meteorite impact or a nuclear blast)

Grains of shocked quartz have long been used as criteria for impact (extraterrestrial objects or nuclear bombs) …

—Stephen Jay Gould

Synonyms

• stunned
• amazed
• surprised
• astonished
• horrified
• dumfounded
• appalled

Examples of shocked in a Sentence

the escaping bridegroom bid farewell to the shocked wedding guests as he ran out the door

we were shocked at the appalling conditions in the prison

the hikers were so shocked at the sight of a bear that they didn't dare move

Recent Examples on the Web

Tony Caba is accused of killing 45-year-old Roberto Cuevas in front of shocked partygoers near Fourth Ave. —Sheetal Banchariya, New York Daily News, 11 Aug. 2025

For the most part, the teens are shocked, often horrified, hearing their mothers use the term when talking directly to their fathers. —Sari Hitchins, Parents, 11 Aug. 2025

But some of the employees were not particularly shocked. —Keren Landman, The Atlantic, 10 Aug. 2025

Here are some thoughts about what shocked, delighted and let me down during this year’s experience. —Rachel Bernhard, jsonline.com, 7 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1675, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing shocked

• shell-shocked
• shocked and dismayed

Rhymes for shocked

• concoct
• deadlocked
• landlocked
• padlocked
• unblocked
• unlocked
• balked
• blocked
• chalked
• clocked
• cocked
• docked