Synonyms of shell-shocked

shell-shocked

adjective

ˈshel-ˌshäkt 

1

as in stressed

suffering from high levels of physical and especially psychological stress

even after the long furlough, the returning soldiers still felt a little shell-shocked

Synonyms & Similar Words

• stressed
• tired
• exhausted
• nervous
• stressed-out
• on the rack
• angry
• troubled
• upset
• unnerved
• annoyed
• knackered
• exasperated
• irritated
• perturbed
• disturbed
• burned-out
• aggravated
• agitated
• unstrung
• unmanned
• uneasy
• tense
• worn-out
• undone
• edgy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rested
• relaxed
• unconcerned
• carefree
• laid-back
• lighthearted
• happy-go-lucky
• devil-may-care

2

as in dazed

suffering from mental confusion

shell-shocked survivors who were in dire need of every kind of help

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dazed
• bewildered
• confused
• stunned
• distracted
• dizzy
• bemused
• befuddled
• punch-drunk
• out of it
• stupefied
• silly
• muddleheaded
• dopey
• fogged
• mixed-up
• at sea
• raddled
• punchy
• bedeviled
• pixilated
• confounded
• addled
• slaphappy
• spacey
• unconscious
• befogged
• zonked-out
• muzzy
• bushed
• zonked
• addle
• addlepated
• spaced-out
• senseless

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• conscious
• clearheaded
• alert

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of shell-shocked

At halftime, as Duke’s players tersely ran back to the locker room with Siena ahead 43-32, the Blue Devils — and their extended traveling party — were shell-shocked. — Brendan Marks, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2026

At halftime of Wednesday night’s game against Villanova at Finneran Pavilion, the UConn women’s basketball team looked shell-shocked. — Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 19 Feb. 2026

Despite being billed as the head and heart of the new and improved Tender, Henry actually freezes in the meeting with the regulator, shell-shocked by a single reference to his failure at Lumi. — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 26 Jan. 2026

That likability should help appease an employee base which has become shell-shocked with cuts and layoffs over decades of mergers. — Lillian Rizzo,alex Sherman, CNBC, 22 Aug. 2025