1
as in surprise
something that makes a strong impression because it is so unexpected
As expected, the box-office champ was another superhero actioner, but the real stunner was the second-place finish for the low-budget comedy.
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in queen
an attractive woman
Not only is she smart, she's a real stunner.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of stunner
With relentless howling wind making up much of the soundtrack, The Turin Horse was a chilling, enigmatic stunner that played like a metaphor for the apocalypse.
—
Tim Grierson, Rolling Stone, 6 Jan. 2026
Chef Casey Wall, a North Carolinian by way of Australia, cares about ingredients and their provenance, as evidenced by the tomatoes in a zippy summer salad and the sustainable Gulf fish that centers a Texan take on a brown-butter almondine stunner.
—Matthew Odam, Austin American Statesman, 29 Dec. 2025
The stunner of the year also happened in May, but on the other side of the world.
—Robert Niles, Oc Register, 23 Dec. 2025
In Variety’s most recent Oscar predictions, the Kleber Mendonça Filho stunner is projected to be among the 10 best picture nominees.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 7 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stunner
Tim Grierson, Rolling Stone, 6 Jan. 2026
Chef Casey Wall, a North Carolinian by way of Australia, cares about ingredients and their provenance, as evidenced by the tomatoes in a zippy summer salad and the sustainable Gulf fish that centers a Texan take on a brown-butter almondine stunner.
—Matthew Odam, Austin American Statesman, 29 Dec. 2025
The stunner of the year also happened in May, but on the other side of the world.
—Robert Niles, Oc Register, 23 Dec. 2025
In Variety’s most recent Oscar predictions, the Kleber Mendonça Filho stunner is projected to be among the 10 best picture nominees.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 7 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stunner
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stunner
Noun
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Half the enjoyment of these toys is being able to carefully break open the egg to reveal the surprise creature inside.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The design from Takeshi Kata is intensifying hyper-realistic and comes with a surprise sting in its tail, not to mention some gorgeous vistas from the great Chicago lighting designer Heather Gilbert, who send shafts of light into the play’s motel room of the paranoid.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Cate Blanchett is the queen of a relaxed, textured bob.—
Catharine Malzahn,
InStyle,
8 Jan. 2026
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In some species, ants restructure their nests to slow the transmission of a lethal fungus and in others, ant queens eat infected brood to prevent the spread of disease and recover nutrients.—
Arundathi Nair,
NPR,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Whenever using space heaters in a bathroom or kitchen, take all precautions to reduce the risk of electric shock whether that's positioning your heater away from water sources like sinks and showers.—
Shivani Vyas,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 Jan. 2026
-
While Owens’ retirement was a bit of a shock at first, Moore said the new board and committee volunteers are super excited about what is possible for the center.—
Karen Billing,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Hedda nominee Tessa Thompson was a green goddess in a custom Balenciaga gown embroidered with fishscale sequins and Bulgari jewelry.—
Jackie Fields,
PEOPLE,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Only a goddess of love can unzip her.—
Jasmine Vojdani,
Vulture,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
As Wood referred to, last August, McKellen dropped a casting bombshell at the For the Love of Fantasy fan event in London.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Jan. 2026
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The inspiration for this bombshell ‘do was the high-glamour supermodel blowouts of the ‘90s.—
Tamim Alnuweiri,
InStyle,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Below, shop eight deals across fashion, beauty, and home on Amazon—up to 62 percent off.—
Alyssa Morin,
InStyle,
16 Jan. 2026
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The beauty industry is entering a building period, after a dip in M&A activity in 2025.—
Hikmat Mohammed,
Vogue,
16 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The basket and the crowd's reaction gave Calipari a jolt on the sideline.—
Matt Byrne,
Arkansas Online,
5 Jan. 2026
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The Anteaters withstood an early jolt from Cal State Fullerton in their Big West Conference matchup, but came back with several blows of their own in an 86-64 win at Titan Gym.—
Dan Arritt,
Oc Register,
4 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Every eyeful was a universe, a cosmos squeezed into a teacup.—
Susan Casey,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Jan. 2026
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After sports commentator Nate Burleson stuffed America's collective stocking with an eyeful of bright red Christmas attire on Netflix's NFL Christmas Day livestream, cohost and former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan poked back.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stunner.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stunner. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
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