as in stunned
affected with sudden and great wonder or surprise
the teen was thunderstruck when his parents told him he had been adopted
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in surprised
to make a strong impression on (someone) with something unexpected
everyone was thunderstruck when she quit her job without warning
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of thunderstruck
Marin Independent Journal, Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2025
Adjective
The baseball-loving family members were thunderstruck at spotting the T206 Honus Wagner in the frame.
—Marin Independent Journal, Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thunderstruck
Adjective
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Some looked stunned, others threw up their hands or clapped.—
Camila Gomez,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 May 2026
-
But within seconds of being knocked back, the responding officers were back up, checking on each other and evacuating stunned residents — including several children — from the rubble of the home, the video shows.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The guard admitted he was surprised by the lack of questions about his medical status but voiced confidence that the issue would not continue into his NBA career.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
13 May 2026
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Moroney even surprised the night's guests with a special video message as the teens got ready.—
Hannah Sacks,
PEOPLE,
13 May 2026
Adjective
-
Investigators remain amazed no one was killed, and hopeful the two victims will fully recover.—
Juli McDonald,
CBS News,
13 May 2026
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Padres season-ticket holders in the 300 level at Petco Park for four years, both were amazed by their baseball weekend.—
Ryan Finley,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
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An Alsip man who drove past Evergreen Park High School at 58 mph and then increased his speed to 75 mph was shocked with a Taser during the traffic stop after releasing a dog from the car and struggling with officers, police said.—
Dennis Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
13 May 2026
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In 1959, Levi was shocked to receive a letter informing him that a German publisher by the name of Fischer had just acquired the translation rights to If This Is a Man.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 May 2026
Adjective
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And so did a few astonished gasps when a drone shot revealed just how far outside of the Mojave tent her crowd of headbanging bodies stretched.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
17 Apr. 2026
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One that draws more approving thumbs-ups, creates more astonished grins, or pulls more phones from pockets for impromptu photographs and video—especially in stunning Verde Ermes metallic paint.—
Michael Harley,
Forbes.com,
19 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Victor turned to her, startled.—
‘Pemi Aguda,
Literary Hub,
6 May 2026
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The gunfire startled sleeping guests at the Citizen Hotel, which included a wedding party and fans of the rapper Tyler the Creator, who performed at a concert hours earlier.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
And she is just completely dumbstruck by that.—
Mike Fleming Jr,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
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The parents at this kind of show, of course, are less dumbstruck than the kids: The card is not floating but instead swinging on some string.—
Joseph Vukov,
Chicago Tribune,
29 July 2024
Cite this Entry
“Thunderstruck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thunderstruck. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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