noun
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a state of unconsciousness
-
mental dullness; torpor
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of stupor
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin: “astonishment, insensibility,” equivalent to stup(ēre) “to be numb, to be stunned” + -or -or 1
Explanation
You’re not in a stupor if you’re reading this. A person in a stupor is barely conscious, just really out of it. The words stupor and stupid come from the Latin root stupere that means basically “to be stunned.” Extreme heat and humidity, drugs or alcohol, or some kind of medical issue could send you into a stupor. Shocking news can also send you into a stupor, and some people feel like they’re in a stupor in the morning until they’ve had coffee.
Vocabulary lists containing stupor
Grade 11, List 6
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Persepolis
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Out of the Dust
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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.
The term “locked in” was coined in 1966 by neurologists Fred Plum and Jerome Posner in their monograph The Diagnosis of Stupor and Coma.
From Scientific American • Oct. 21, 2022
"Russian forces have the Stupor rifle, which shoots electromagnetic pulses," she says.
From BBC • Jul. 24, 2022
And once again the behemoth National Conference is headed for lopsided victory in another Stupor Bowl.
From Time Magazine Archive
Why does a great Expletion cause an Epilepsy, which at once brings a Stupor upon all the Senses, as in a profound Sleep?
From Colloquies of Erasmus, Volume I. by Erasmus, Desiderius
Stupor and amazement of little Georges and little Jeanne at their basketful of New Year presents.
From The Memoirs of Victor Hugo by Hugo, Victor
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.
