dumbfounded
Americanadjective
verb
Etymology
Origin of dumbfounded
Explanation
When you're dumbfounded, you're amazed. Being dumbfounded is an extreme form of being surprised or caught off guard. Being dumbfounded is not something that happens every day: this is a word that means something similar to astonished and gobsmacked. Only things that are extraordinary can dumbfound you. This word plays on an older meaning of dumb that means unable to speak. When you're dumbfounded, you're so astounded and shocked that you can't even speak. Save this word for occasions that are truly unusual and amazing.
Vocabulary lists containing dumbfounded
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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.
"So it's pretty ludicrous... I'm dumbfounded in terms of the stark contrast that exists currently in the landscape of sport and swimming."
From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2026
Ordinary air travelers have been dumbfounded by the chaos.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 1, 2026
American skater Nathan Chen, the Beijing men's individual gold medallist, was dumbfounded, saying: "What a shock".
From Barron's ● Feb. 14, 2026
“Whether owing to that striking optimism or some other loftier force at work,” said family member Gregory Small, she had survived with pancreatic cancer for 12 years, a feat that left her doctors dumbfounded.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 6, 2025
Taylor sat on a log and stared at the girls, dumbfounded.
From "Beauty Queens" by Libba Bray
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.
