blindsided

American  

[blahynd-sahy-did] / ˈblaɪndˌsaɪ dɪd /

adjective

1. Sports. tackled, hit, or attacked by an opponent on the blind side, out of the player’s field of vision.

   The blindsided offensive lineman was taken down by the defensive tackle coming around the other way.

2. attacked critically or taken by surprise where one is vulnerable, uninformed or unprepared, etc..

   Told by a cryptic university official that his keynote address was being canceled “for political reasons,” the blindsided philanthropist was left searching for answers.

3. (of such an attack, tackle, etc.) delivered from the blind side, unexpectedly, or in a way that exposes or takes advantage of a vulnerability.

   A staff meeting is no place for a blindsided assault on an administrator.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of blindside.

Etymology

Origin of blindsided

First recorded in 1985–90; blindside + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; blindside + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

But just six months later she was blindsided when her husband announced "seemingly out of nowhere" that he wanted a divorce.

From BBC

This way, you can budget accordingly over the next couple of months and not feel blindsided if you end up needing to pay a bit more.

From MarketWatch

The Thanksgiving chaos wasn’t the first time residents said they had been blindsided by plans for the property.

From Los Angeles Times

A blindsided Alex sat quietly with her head in her hands.

From BBC

To avoid being blindsided after a spouse’s death, Estrada recommends couples meet monthly to review their finances.

From The Wall Street Journal