dumbstruck

American  

[duhm-struhk] / ˈdʌmˌstrʌk /

Also dumbstricken

adjective

1. temporarily deprived of the power of speech, as by surprise or confusion; dumbfounded.

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dumbstruck British  

/ ˈdʌmˌstrʌk, ˈdʌmˌstrɪkən /

adjective

1. temporarily deprived of speech through shock or surprise

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Etymology

Origin of dumbstruck

First recorded in 1885–90; dumb + struck

Explanation

When you're dumbstruck, you're so amazed or shocked that you can't say a word. You might be dumbstruck with fear when you hear a scary noise upstairs in your supposedly empty house. You might be dumbstruck by the changes in a town you haven't seen in several years, or dumbstruck with terror on a roller coaster. The adjective dumbstruck describes someone who's rendered speechless by an overwhelming emotion — in other words, struck dumb, or "silent," which is the oldest meaning of the word, directly from the Old English.