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.
Plastic surgeon Dalvi Humzah, who reviewed the footage, described these practices as "shocking" and "very dangerous".
From BBC • Jul. 5, 2026
Thus, this shocking program was exploiting doctors and the trust inherent in their relationships with patients, and it was also divisive among the many hardworking physicians.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 2, 2026
"What happened to him was shocking," petition organiser Taro Tsurugashima said of Kumar, who ran a restaurant in Saitama, near Tokyo, for 18 years.
From Barron's • Jul. 1, 2026
Spike Lee’s masterpiece was met with hand-wringing when it arrived in theaters 37 summers ago, with white critics fretting how “urban audiences” would react to its shocking ending of brutality and angry protest.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 29, 2026
“I think Oak is the least shocking part of what you have to tell her,” I say.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
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.
