as in shocked
to cause an unpleasant surprise for
the news that we had failed the auto inspection shook us up
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in upset
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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 shook-up
Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
Paltrow shook up the look with her bottoms, trading traditional slacks for a pair of belted capris that fell just below the knee.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 23 Sep. 2025
While that trade shook up the entire landscape of the NFL, the Packers may not be done.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
Kraft shook up his campaign by parting with his top advisers Will Keyser and Eileen O’Connor earlier this week.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 6 Sep. 2025
Conflicting messaging and ambiguous guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration shook up the usual launch of annual vaccines.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 27 Aug. 2025
Orlando shook up its roster in the offseason, including a blockbuster trade for former Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane, signing former Phoenix Suns point guard Tyus Jones, drafting guard Jase Richardson and forward Noah Penda, and extending Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner on sizable contracts.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 12 Aug. 2025
Adjective
As one of the original Try Guys members, Fulmer shook up the group and the fanbase when his affair was unearthed.
—Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 27 Sep. 2025
Paltrow shook up the look with her bottoms, trading traditional slacks for a pair of belted capris that fell just below the knee.
—Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 23 Sep. 2025
While that trade shook up the entire landscape of the NFL, the Packers may not be done.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025
Kraft shook up his campaign by parting with his top advisers Will Keyser and Eileen O’Connor earlier this week.
—Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 6 Sep. 2025
Conflicting messaging and ambiguous guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration shook up the usual launch of annual vaccines.
—Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 27 Aug. 2025
Orlando shook up its roster in the offseason, including a blockbuster trade for former Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane, signing former Phoenix Suns point guard Tyus Jones, drafting guard Jase Richardson and forward Noah Penda, and extending Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner on sizable contracts.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shook-up
Verb
-
Helene shocked people from the plains and pine forests of Central and Eastern Georgia through scenic mountain vistas in North Carolina and Tennessee.—
Dinah Voyles Pulver,
USA Today,
26 Sep. 2025
-
The president then shocked many with the content of his remarks that followed.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Dart wasn’t the only Giants rookie to have a substantial impact in the upset victory.—
Dane Brugler,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Nudge your kids to make decisions for themselves, even when other people are upset.—
Megan Sauer,
CNBC,
30 Sep. 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
Adjective
-
However, thematically and stylistically this is of a piece with its predecessors’ interest in dysfunctional families, troubled teens and tweens (once again directed with skill by Omerzu), and unexpected narrative diversions and surprises.—
Leslie Felperin,
HollywoodReporter,
25 Sep. 2025
-
But while they’re known for their humor, Martin is hoping to induce a different feeling in viewers with Wayward, a new Netflix thriller that deals with the troubled teen industry, set to debut September 25.—
Mathew Rodriguez,
Them.,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The company has been an AI infrastructure provider and stunned Wall Street earlier this month by reaching a $300 billion deal with OpenAI, which will purchase computing power over about five years in one of the largest cloud contracts ever signed.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
28 Sep. 2025
-
The reaction online stunned Carrizales.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Right-wing influencers have relentlessly campaigned for these people to lose their jobs, tagging their employers’ online accounts and inundating their places of work with aggrieved emails and phone calls.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Black Rabbit is co-created and primarily written by Zach Baylin and Kate Susman, who respectively wrote and produced the 2024 Justin Kurzel crime drama The Order, in which Law played an aggrieved FBI agent chasing a neo-Nazi group led by Nicholas Hoult.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The Alvord High School science teacher, who had told her students about feeding the sick kitten to the snake, gave three other kittens to a student who was distraught about the incident.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 Sep. 2025
-
Dorsett described the children as distraught by their father's detention and said his absence has created emotional and financial hardship.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Both were a byword, too, for male beauty, fully alive to the almost laughable impact of their handsomeness, yet ill at ease, now and then, with their perches on the pedestal.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Maurice, who had a troubled childhood marked by illness and emotional neglect, was negative and socially ill at ease.—
Olga Khazan,
The Atlantic,
13 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Shook-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shook-up. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share