- present participle of stun.
stunning
Americanadjective
-
causing, capable of causing, or liable to cause astonishment, bewilderment, or a loss of consciousness or strength.
a stunning blow.
- Synonyms:
- astounding, numbing
-
of striking beauty or excellence.
What a stunning dress you're wearing!
adjective
Usage
What does stunning mean? Stunning essentially means something or someone causes such a huge impact that you are stunned from pain or a wave of emotion. Stunning can describe something or someone that literally causes physical pain, as in The kickboxer suffered a stunning blow to her face. Stunning is also used figuratively to describe something or someone that overwhelms you emotionally or has the potential to overwhelm you emotionally, as in The acrobats performed a stunning routine of flips and cartwheels. Finally, stunning can also describe something or someone that is especially beautiful or marvelous, as in The actress wore a stunning dress to the red carpet. You might also use dazzling or gorgeous. Example: In a stunning act of arrogance, the dictator built a solid gold statue of himself and placed it in the city square.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of stunning
Explanation
Someone who is strikingly beautiful can be described as stunning. There's something magical about weddings that makes every bride look stunning. The adjective stunning also means causing astonishment, shock, or disbelief. If your basketball team suffers a stunning defeat, it comes at the hands of a rival team you were positive you would beat. Stunning is rooted in the Old French verb estoner, meaning to stun or shock, and it was used in the 1800s as a synonym for excellent. It's still used this way, particularly when something is really impressive, like the school mime troupe's stunning performance.
Vocabulary lists containing stunning
Unit 1: Telling Details
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Call of Beauty: Synonyms for "Beautiful"
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Unit 1: Telling Details
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In the two years since, questions have lingered about the extent of U.S. involvement in the stunning capture.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Aymen Dahmen showed stunning reactions for Tunisia against Japan from Takehiro Tomiyasu's close-range effort, somehow keeping the ball out as it did everything but cross the line.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Investors seem to be second-guessing the stunning rally in chip stocks as another earnings season picks up steam.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026
The company’s stunning resurgence is partly good luck: the AI boom recently entered a new phase that demands huge quantities of the computer chips known as CPUs, Intel’s specialty.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
Judith really is stunning, with her pale parchment skin, molasses-colored hair, and a gaze that could cut glass.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
