as in upset
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as in shocked
to cause an unpleasant surprise for
the news that we had failed the auto inspection shook us up
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Recent Examples of shook-up
Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
The scandal shook up elections statewide, with Republican groups spending millions on a flurry of ads attacking Jones, NBC News reported.
—Kevin Breuninger,dan Mangan, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2025
The shooting also shook up the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, which underwent a flurry of personnel and policy changes.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025
The Cleveland Browns shook up the NFL landscape with their headline-making trade of Joe Flacco to the 2-3 Cincinnati Bengals.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
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
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
Verb
Ohio State’s loss to Miami shook up the College Football Playoff and paved the way for a new favorite.
—Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2026
The scandal shook up elections statewide, with Republican groups spending millions on a flurry of ads attacking Jones, NBC News reported.
—Kevin Breuninger,dan Mangan, CNBC, 4 Nov. 2025
The shooting also shook up the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, which underwent a flurry of personnel and policy changes.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025
The Cleveland Browns shook up the NFL landscape with their headline-making trade of Joe Flacco to the 2-3 Cincinnati Bengals.
—Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Oct. 2025
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shook-up
Adjective
-
The Tigers, previously 0-9 all-time at Rupp Arena, took advantage of a struggling Kentucky Wildcats squad for a 73-68 upset win.—
Maddie Hartley,
Kansas City Star,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The automaker spent much of the year undoing decisions made by the previous CEO, Carlos Tavares, who resigned at the end of 2024, as stakeholders in the company — from dealers to union rank and file — were upset with him and unhappy with his leadership.—
Liam Rappleye,
USA Today,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
And honestly, would you be shocked if this administration tried to make its dream a reality?—
Gustavo Arellano,
Mercury News,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Christopher Parente wasn't shocked to learn that a federal immigration agent had shot and killed 37-year-old Renee Good in her car in Minneapolis.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
14 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The film follows a weary delivery driver with months to live who saves a brilliant but troubled teenage girl.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
8 Jan. 2026
-
But many parents of troubled adults face myriad obstacles in getting help for their children, said Pasquini, who is a former nine-year member of the Contra Costa County Mental Health Commission and who has long worked for changes in the state’s conservatorship laws.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Jefferson—the original originalist—would have been appalled at some of our recent Supreme Court decisions.—
The Atlantic,
The Atlantic,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Aggie is appalled at Nile’s presumptuousness, his entitlement.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
6 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
In Virginia, a dissident hinterland landowner named Nathaniel Bacon led a revolt by aggrieved Colonists that torched the English provincial capital at Jamestown.—
Peter C. Mancall,
The Conversation,
9 Jan. 2026
-
At the core of this extremism is the dangerous view that the founders viewed aggrieved citizens who attack the government through armed violence as righteous patriots, rather than the enemies of the state.—
Douglas Letter,
Time,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The pop star stunned on the red carpet in a completely sheer archival Jean-Louis Scherrer gown from 2003, which showed off her toned midsection.—
Hannah Malach,
InStyle,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Jay Leno continues to stand by his wife during her battle with advanced dementia, a decision that has stunned some in Hollywood.—
Stephanie Giang-Paunon,
FOXNews.com,
15 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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There seems to be an emotional disconnect between their characters, as Anne appears somewhat distraught, while H arington's character looks much more at ease.—
Wesley Stenzel,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Michael Lynch, 62, went to New York Presbyterian-Brooklyn Methodist Hospital on Wednesday with his wife, worried about pressure in his head and tingling in his hands, his distraught spouse told the Daily News.—
Rebecca White,
New York Daily News,
11 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Of course, no guest wants to dine at the home of a host whose off-putting etiquette makes everyone feel ill at ease either.—
Alesandra Dubin,
Southern Living,
21 Oct. 2025
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Shook-up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shook-up. Accessed 18 Jan. 2026.
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