1
as in stunned
affected with sudden and great wonder or surprise
the escaping bridegroom bid farewell to the shocked wedding guests as he ran out the door
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in disgusted
filled with disgust
we were shocked at the appalling conditions in the prison
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in afraid
filled with fear or dread
the hikers were so shocked at the sight of a bear that they didn't dare move
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in appalled
to cause an unpleasant surprise for
Mom was shocked by the terrible news that her cousin had died in an accident I was shocked to find out that I was the victim of identity theft
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in surprised
to make a strong impression on (someone) with something unexpected
were shocked by the way the law against public intoxication was constantly being broken
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in frightened
to strike with fear
the sudden appearance of the ghost shocked us to the core
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of shocked
Jenna West, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
And then at Veejay’s station — well, there are no clothes made yet, and Christian is shocked.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025
Brian Steinberg, Variety, 3 Oct. 2025
Russians went from being shocked by the Kremlin attacking a neighboring country, to despair that no amount of protest could end the war, to fear of escalating repressions against the critics of the war, and finally, to apathy and surrender.
—Nina Khrushcheva, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shocked
Adjective
Erica turned around, looking shocked, and an angry McIlroy rushed over to her.
—Jenna West, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
And then at Veejay’s station — well, there are no clothes made yet, and Christian is shocked.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 26 Sep. 2025
Verb
The pact is reportedly worth up to $150 million, although that pricetag has shocked industry observers as undoubtedly inflated by the desire of Paramount to bring Weiss, a former opinion writer for the New York Times, into the fold.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 3 Oct. 2025
Russians went from being shocked by the Kremlin attacking a neighboring country, to despair that no amount of protest could end the war, to fear of escalating repressions against the critics of the war, and finally, to apathy and surrender.
—Nina Khrushcheva, Time, 3 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for shocked
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shocked
Adjective
-
Combs appeared stunned and wide-eyed as Subramanian mentioned his children in his address and also imposed five years of supervised release and a $500,000 fine, the maximum possible.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Though Guzman had always wanted to go, this year marked her first time, and stepping inside left her stunned.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
They’ve been assisted by Hedda’s long-time family friend Judge Roland Brack (Nicholas Pinnock), who takes every opportunity to try to ravish a disgusted Hedda, clearly believing he’s owed something.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
8 Sep. 2025
-
In addition to the tariff kerfuffle, 1.5 billion Indians and about 5 million Indian Americans are surprised, disgusted, and hurt at the insults and invectives thrown at them from Mr. Trump's MAGA base, including some prominent Trump administration officials.—
Kristina Foltz,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Even with more women 55 and older in the workforce than ever before, women often are afraid to talk about menopause in the office.—
Laura Trujillo,
USA Today,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Bohemian homes are never afraid of color, particularly when AD100 designer Justina Blakeney is involved.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
After going public together on social media, the pair have elicited strong reactions from people in their comments — some appalled by their age gap and others who quickly jump to their defense.—
Luke Chinman,
PEOPLE,
29 Sep. 2025
-
Hollywood leaders were astonished; free speech groups were appalled; and the episode triggered a multi-day news cycle about free speech and corporate capitulation to political pressure.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
For their 15th anniversary, the Saved by the Bell star surprised her husband with an at-home recreation of their wedding.—
Brendan Le,
PEOPLE,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Changing the Rankings Many readers may be surprised not to see Turkey’s 1915 Çanakkale Bridge, which holds the record for the longest suspension span.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
There are liberals in media, but the corporations are now either controlled by the right wing or frightened of it.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
20 Sep. 2025
-
Family pets, especially dogs, are frightened by the noise and will hide or try to run away.—
Phil Diehl,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
On the other side of the world in New Zealand, Ratu Mataira was amazed as a student at the Victoria University of Wellington when CFS leaders came to study his college’s superconductor magnet research.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Our parent tester of a 1 year old was amazed by how much her 1 year old enjoyed all the bells and whistles.—
Pamela Brill,
Parents,
2 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
But as that incident demonstrated, even a small number of controllers calling in sick can have a big impact.—
Joel Rose,
NPR,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Austin Hedges gets sick to his stomach before postseason games.—
Zack Meisel,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shocked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shocked. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share