as in suddenly
without warning
completely taken aback by the neighbors' announcement that they were moving
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Recent Examples of aback
Related Stories Saarinen has been voicing similar concerns for years – but the latest development still took him aback.
—
Marta Balaga, Variety, 18 Sep. 2025
Rodgers took some players aback by his just-one-of-the-guys approach.
—Mike Jones, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2025
Hashim Raza remembers being thrown aback when his son professed his love for Hussain-Raza.
—Noe Padilla, IndyStar, 2 July 2025
Glen Sitwell, a building manager who watched all of this play out from his corner office, said the aggressive posture of the agents took him aback.
—Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for aback
Marta Balaga, Variety, 18 Sep. 2025
Rodgers took some players aback by his just-one-of-the-guys approach.
—Mike Jones, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2025
Hashim Raza remembers being thrown aback when his son professed his love for Hussain-Raza.
—Noe Padilla, IndyStar, 2 July 2025
Glen Sitwell, a building manager who watched all of this play out from his corner office, said the aggressive posture of the agents took him aback.
—Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for aback
Recent Examples of Synonyms for aback
Adverb
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When their son Hamnet dies suddenly, Agnes and William are thrown into unimaginable grief, which the Bard then channels into arguably the most influential play of all time.—
Brian Tallerico,
Vulture,
28 Feb. 2026
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From wry self-effacement, the Screen Actors Guild has suddenly opted for self-erasure.—
Thomas Doherty,
HollywoodReporter,
28 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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For a team that’s trying to lose for draft positioning lately, the Jazz deployed an unexpectedly competitive game plan.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
3 Mar. 2026
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The Netflix show, about a group of Black Londoners who unexpectedly develop superpowers, has racked up hundreds of millions of hours following its launch in 2024.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Aback.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/aback. Accessed 5 Mar. 2026.
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