shocking
Americanadjective
-
causing intense surprise, disgust, horror, etc.
- Synonyms:
- appalling, startling, astounding, staggering
-
very bad.
shocking manners.
adjective
-
causing shock, horror, or disgust
-
a vivid or garish shade of pink
-
informal very bad or terrible
shocking weather
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of shocking
Vocabulary lists containing shocking
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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.
"It would have been shocking to me," said Rubio, who has not been implicated in any wrongdoing.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
But the main talking point of this show was actor Richard E Grant, with his shocking admission.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
So often are these charges true that it can feel shocking when we encounter conceptual work that truly lands, that elevates its subject matter in a way that makes it deeply resonant without preaching.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
The implications of all this research are shocking.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
It may be, too, that he wanted to show in the most startling and shocking way possible how easy it was to deceive the awful, venerated, humbly adored divinities.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
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.
