speechless
Americanadjective
-
temporarily deprived of speech by strong emotion, physical weakness, exhaustion, etc..
speechless with alarm.
- Synonyms:
- mute
- Antonyms:
- talkative, voluble, loquacious
-
characterized by absence or loss of speech.
speechless joy.
- Antonyms:
- talkative, voluble, loquacious
-
lacking the faculty of speech; dumb.
- Antonyms:
- talkative, voluble, loquacious
-
not expressed in speech or words.
speechless compliments.
-
refraining from speech.
adjective
-
not able to speak
-
temporarily deprived of speech
-
not expressed or able to be expressed in words
speechless fear
Other Word Forms
- speechlessly adverb
- speechlessness noun
Etymology
Origin of speechless
before 1000; Middle English specheles, Old English spǣclēas. See speech, -less
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.
Hill says she was "speechless for a good 10 minutes" after finding out that she had been chosen to receive the money.
From BBC
A woman whose dogs were stolen eight years ago said she was left "speechless" when she was reunited with one of them.
From BBC
"It's the Gold Cup. They just get better and better. I am speechless," said Townend after his fifth Gold Cup triumph.
From BBC
Learning the real reason he had been lured to the venue with "a perfect lie", he said: "I'm speechless, knocked out."
From BBC
It meant that the musk ox was stunned and speechless . . . for a few seconds anyway, until he found his voice again.
From Literature
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.
