as in astonishing
causing wonder or astonishment
the staggering scope of the new construction on campus
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in wobbling
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in lurching
to move forward while swaying from side to side
I was so tired last night that I just staggered upstairs to bed without eating dinner
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in faltering
to show uncertainty about the right course of action
a daunting problem that would make even the most decisive person stagger just a bit
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of staggering
Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 17 Feb. 2026
And the gap between the top and bottom is staggering.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 17 Feb. 2026
Jayson Stark, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
The young men in Bruins blue and gold staggering off the field afterwards dazed, confused.
—Mirjam Swanson, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for staggering
Adjective
Authorities expect around half a billion individual train journeys across the multi-day holiday, an astonishing mass movement only possible thanks to China’s staggering high-speed network.
—Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 17 Feb. 2026
And the gap between the top and bottom is staggering.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 17 Feb. 2026
Verb
Then the Dodgers stopped by in October for an NLDS heavyweight title bout — and the Phillies are already staggering through a standing 8-count.
—Jayson Stark, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
The young men in Bruins blue and gold staggering off the field afterwards dazed, confused.
—Mirjam Swanson, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for staggering
Recent Examples of Synonyms for staggering
Adjective
-
Mirabilis, being Latin for astonishing.—
Matthew Glasser,
ABC News,
19 Feb. 2026
-
But from the jaws of defeat, Team USA pulled off an astonishing Olympic comeback, sending the players leaving Italy with gold medals swinging around their necks.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
That wobbling can allow Arctic air from the troposphere — or contained within the polar jet stream — to move elsewhere.—
Brandi D. Addison,
Freep.com,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Moving over to the balance beam, the Bruins struggled at the start, with Matthews falling and Sumanasekera wobbling.—
Anthony Solorzano,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Sure enough, a big rock upended from beneath my toe and sent me lurching headlong to the water.—
Bryan Hendricks,
Arkansas Online,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Natanya complicates her old-school character sketch with cerebral shifts in perspective, affecting each of the voices that accompany a young woman’s drive for success and independence (demanding friends and parents, sexist expectations, her own willpower) in a lurching cascade of melodies.—
H.D. Angel,
Pitchfork,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Unless regulators crack down on these deepfakes, the videos threaten to steer even more patients toward wasteful, potentially dangerous purchases — while further undermining the public’s already faltering trust in medical institutions.—
John Whyte,
STAT,
17 Feb. 2026
-
The program also pledges to fulfill conditions for adopting the euro currency by 2030, and to invest in Hungary's faltering state health care and public transportation sectors.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Great Britain had to win to stay alive for the medal round, and won on an amazing throw by skip Rebecca Morrison, who banked her stone off a wide blocking stone and spun it right.—
John Shipley,
Twin Cities,
18 Feb. 2026
-
So many comedians would have been amazing hosting that show.—
Alex Morris,
Rolling Stone,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Every meeting that ends with indecision and another meeting?—
Shani Harmon,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
-
When a child or young adult shows signs of anxiety, depression, trauma, self-harm or suicidal ideation, indecision and adult conflict can deepen the harm.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
But that Illini team was unranked and reeling from injury and illness, and this Michigan team is 25-1 and a popular national title favorite.—
Molly Geary,
Sportico.com,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Those hopes hang on how USC handles its business through the final five games of its regular season, a stretch that includes just one top-25 team and two matchups with its reeling crosstown rival, UCLA.—
Ryan Kartje,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
However, if large enterprises are hesitating to commit and implement, that’s a broader industry headwind impacting everyone, not just SAP.—
Trefis Team,
Forbes.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The appeals court, however, said staying the injunction serves the public interest by preventing federal agents from hesitating while carrying out lawful duties.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Staggering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/staggering. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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