Definition of shocking
:extremely startling, distressing, or offensive
- shocking news
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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 of shocking from the Web
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So that was shocking because Indiana just gave him away.
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Too bad that the film whiffs it with Allan Loeb’s script, which is no more creative in generating shocking family secrets than a random soap opera.
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This match was the second-to-last match of the night, and featured a fairly shocking result.
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Their pessimism was reflected in another shocking recent poll showing that more than 50 percent of Colombians fear that the country is at risk of turning into Venezuela at some point in the future.
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In a completely non-shocking turn of events that absolutely everyone saw coming, Zendaya has slayed the red carpet again.
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And in a shocking display of injustice, the city of Flint recently threatened, under this same confiscatory tax law, to take homes from residents who refuse to pay their water bills due to the city’s crisis with tainted water.
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All three of those movies were also directed by Villeneuve, so the news of Jóhannsson’s involvement with Blade Runner 2049 was not at all shocking.
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The vote of no confidence is believed to be the first of its kind and was shocking because Deters has long enjoyed support from the law enforcement community for his tough-on-crime stances.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shocking.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
First Known Use of shocking
1655
shocking Synonyms
Synonyms
amazing, astonishing, astounding, blindsiding, dumbfounding (also dumfounding), eye-opening, flabbergasting, jarring, jaw-dropping, jolting, surprising, startling, stunning, stupefyingAntonyms
unsurprisingRelated Words
unannounced, unanticipated, unexpected, unforeseen; awesome, awful, breathtaking, fabulous, heart-stopping, marvelous (or marvellous), miraculous, portentous, prodigious, staggering, stupendous, sublime, wonderful, wondrous; extraordinary, phenomenal, rare, sensational, spectacular; befuddling, bewildering, confounding, confusing, discomfiting, disconcerting, dismaying, flustering, muddling, nonplussing (also nonplusing), perplexing, upsetting; incomprehensible, inconceivable, incredible, unbelievable, unimaginable, unlikely, unthinkable; singular, uncommon, unique, unusual, unwonted; conspicuous, notable, noticeable, outstanding, remarkable; impressive, strikingNear Antonyms
common, customary, mundane, normal, ordinary, typical, unexceptional, unremarkable, usualSHOCKING Defined for English Language Learners
shocking
play
adjective
Definition of shocking for English Language Learners
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: very surprising and upsetting or causing a sudden feeling of horror or disgust
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: very bad
SHOCKING Defined for Kids
shocking
play
adjective
shock·ing
\
ˈshä-kiŋ
\
Definition of shocking for Students
1
:causing surprise, horror, or disgust
- shocking news
2
:being intense or bright in color
- shocking pink boots
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shockingly
adverbLearn More about shocking
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See words that rhyme with shocking Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for shocking Spanish Central: Translation of shocking Nglish: Translation of shocking for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of shocking for Arabic speakers
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