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

Their shocked reaction doesn’t stop Hersh’s mother. —Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025

Even pro tennis player Jessica Pegula, whose parents own the team, was shocked. —Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 4 Oct. 2025

Goodall, whose own site was relatively protected, was shocked. —Michelle Nijhuis, The Atlantic, 2 Oct. 2025

The episode ended with a surprising elimination that left everyone in the ballroom shocked. —Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 2 Oct. 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