stricken

adjective

strick·​en ˈstri-kən 

1

a

: afflicted or overwhelmed by or as if by disease, misfortune, or sorrow

… hastened out, with a stricken conscience, to remedy the omission.

—\George Eliot

—often used with by or with

—often used in combination

too stricken by terror to speak

a family stricken with grief

disease-stricken

b

: made incapable or unfit

rescuers were sent to the stricken ship

2

: hit or wounded by or as if by a missile

the deer had been stricken by an arrow

Examples of stricken in a Sentence

I saw her stricken face looking up at us.

Recent Examples on the Web

Passengers and crew were taken from the stricken vessel, the Coast Guard said in a statement, and 27 sustained minor injuries. —Reuters, NBC news, 19 Nov. 2025

Working on the ground with partners including humanitarian NGOs and private donors, Shaggy has helped coordinate and fund flights carrying food, water, medical supplies and household essentials to the stricken country. —Jem Aswad, Variety, 4 Nov. 2025

Ten million dollars is already committed for Hurricane Melissa efforts that will mobilize cargo planes and relief containers of aid to stricken areas. —Terry Ward, AFAR Media, 30 Oct. 2025

Daedone briefly looked stricken, but, even so, a placid smile remained on her face. —Thessaly La Force, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English striken, from past participle of striken to strike

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing stricken

• conscience-stricken
• grief-stricken
• panic-stricken
• planet-stricken
• poverty-stricken

Rhymes for stricken

• chicken
• likin
• quicken
• sicken
• thicken
• indican

Kids Definition

stricken

adjective

strick·​en ˈstrik-ən 

1

: troubled with disease, misfortune, or sorrow

2

: hit or wounded by or as if by an object that was thrown