smitten

American  

[smit-n] / ˈsmɪt n /

adjective

1. overwhelmed with attraction or affection toward someone or something.

2. struck, such as with a hard blow.

3. grievously or disastrously stricken or afflicted.

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verb

1. a past participle of smite.

smitten British  

/ ˈsmɪtən /

verb

1. a past participle of smite

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adjective

1. (postpositive) affected by love (for)

Usage

What does smitten mean? Smitten is most popularly used to mean deeply in love.It can also mean infatuated due to being extremely impressed or fond of someone or something, as in I’m just smitten with your new hairstyle or She’s smitten with her new granddaughter. Another way to say any of these things is in love.In a more negative sense, smitten can mean severely or intensely affected or afflicted, such as by illness.All of these senses derive from the fact that smitten is the past participle of the verb smite, which means to strike, damage, injure, attack, or afflict. While smite is often associated with archaic uses (such as its use in the King James Bible to refer to the wrath of God), most senses of the word smitten don’t have this association.Example: I can tell just by the look in your eyes that you’re smitten. What’s his name?

Other Word Forms

• unsmitten adjective

Etymology

Origin of smitten

First recorded in 1200–50; Middle English; equivalent to smite + -en ³

Example Sentences

Bedraggled and bleeding, he opens his eyes to find Anna ministering to him and is rhapsodically smitten.

From The Wall Street Journal

Not the most original sketch idea, but the specific details of the characters and Padilla’s smitten reactions as the bachelorette saved the sketch from overstaying its welcome.

From Los Angeles Times

But I am absolutely smitten by the fuel economy: 36/32/34 mpg, city/hwy/combined, according to the EPA’s test method.

From The Wall Street Journal

For me the most fun thing to play was just how smitten he is.

From Los Angeles Times

And on the family's only visit to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, young Patti slipped off alone to a hall of Picassos and was "smitten".

From BBC