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Synonyms

shocking

American  
[shok-ing] / ˈʃɒk ɪŋ /

adjective

  1. causing intense surprise, disgust, horror, etc.

    Synonyms:
    appalling, startling, astounding, staggering

  2. very bad.

    shocking manners.
shocking British  
/ ˈʃɒkɪŋ /

adjective

  1. causing shock, horror, or disgust

  2. a vivid or garish shade of pink

  3. informal very bad or terrible

    shocking weather
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • shockingly adverb
  • shockingness noun
  • unshocking adjective

Etymology

Origin of shocking

First recorded in 1685–95; shock 1 + -ing 2

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.

“My hunch is it was shocking,” Mora said of the immigration raids last summer.

From Los Angeles Times

Sinn Féin assembly member John O'Dowd said it was a "shocking" incident, particularly for the delivery driver.

From BBC

But it had been a short relief, for moments later, that blanket was ripped away, a rush of cold shocking him back to life.

From Literature

"She made things that would be spectacular and shocking and didn't like the watering down of that."

From BBC

"Everything is being stripped away and it leaves parents and carers to deal with the repercussions, absolutely shocking."

From BBC

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.