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
Relevance
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
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 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
-
The stunned sibling couldn’t believe his last words to Chris would be so ordinary, yet so profound in light of what happened.—
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The short film shows the singer walking through New York City in real time, playing his songs on subway cars and various spots around the city, and leaving a trail of stunned fans in his wake.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Hyatt said the project’s size surprised even those involved in producing it.—
Jane Horowitz,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
-
However, in late fall, Oracle surprised the market by raising a significant amount of debt, fueling investor fears that its AI build-out would be costly and put pressure on its balance sheet.—
Seema Mody,
CNBC,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Proctor was amazed by their artistry and detail.—
James Verini,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Post the performance, the humanoid shook hands with Honor CEO James Li, and also performed a clean backflip that landed flawlessly, leaving the viewers amazed, meeting a ripple of applause across the room.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Their parents are shocked to see the couple living their normal lives covered in cameras.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Nobody should be shocked that the expected is now coming to pass.—
Franklin Foer,
The Atlantic,
11 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
Live, the 11-year-old actor shared his astonished reaction to getting the note.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Prosecutors allege Joshua Alvarado, 30, passed out at the wheel of his pickup truck while driving to work and was startled awake by other drivers honking at him.—
Katie Houlis,
CBS News,
7 Mar. 2026
-
In the early hours of Sunday morning, as a bar in a busy nightlife district of Austin, Texas, prepared to close for the night, patrons and staff were startled by the sound of gunshots.—
Amanda Musa,
CNN Money,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
And she is just completely dumbstruck by that.—
Mike Fleming Jr,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
-
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 13 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
