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
Etymology
Origin of speechless
before 1000; Middle English specheles, Old English spǣclēas. See speech, -less
Explanation
If you’re speechless, you can’t talk, usually because something surprising and crazy happened. You might be rendered speechless if you win the lottery or find a whale on your front lawn. When you’re speechless, you’re at a loss for words. For example, people often say things like "I was speechless when I received the news about my brother!" or "The music left me speechless!" It’s an exaggeration. People use speechless in these cases to show how stunned or moved they were, even though they were probably still capable of speech. "I'm speechless" often really means "I'm shocked!"
Vocabulary lists containing speechless
Power Suffix: -less
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Shhhh! Synonyms for "Quiet"
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"Say It with Flowers" and "The Journey"
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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.
"What a trashy advertisement. It's left me speechless," a user wrote on Weibo, China's X-like platform.
From BBC • Jun. 23, 2026
“I’m speechless with how good he played,” Andersen said on Sunday night.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 15, 2026
A mother of three boys with complex needs has been left "speechless" after a group of kind strangers banded together to transform her home in just 48 hours.
From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026
"I'm speechless, and it's a very beautiful feeling to see them in person. Since I couldn't get tickets, well, it makes me a little emotional," she said.
From Barron's • May 6, 2026
But Kathy let loose a fusillade of pungent suggestions, leaving them dumbfounded and momentarily speechless.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
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.
