stunned
Americanadjective
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deprived of consciousness or strength.
When the fish came close enough, they would get bopped on the head with a club or an axe by the fishermen, who would then drag the stunned fish into the boat.
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showing or reflecting astonishment, shock, or bewilderment.
A stunned spectator managed a "You're kidding?" but nothing more.
The curtain fell to a stunned silence, and then rapturous applause and hysterical laughter.
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of stunned
Explanation
When you're stunned, you're thrown for a loop: either by shocking news or a blow to the head. You can be stunned a few different ways, but they all involve a state of confusion. If your mom won the lottery, you'd be stunned. Others might be stunned if their favorite TV show was canceled. Some people are stunned by good news that is kind of amazing, like a NASA flight to Mars. On the other hand, getting whacked in the head can leave you stunned. Getting the wind knocked out of you will do the same.
Vocabulary lists containing stunned
"All Summer in a Day" by Ray Bradbury
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Ghost Boys
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Fish in a Tree
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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.
He hadn’t shopped for a new car in years and was stunned by the prices.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026
“Now you all have to die because you’ve seen my face,” he joked to the stunned parkgoers.
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
"We were stunned to see how asymmetric this disk is," said co-investigator Joshua Bennett Lovell, also an astronomer at the CfA.
From Science Daily • May 12, 2026
She stunned fashionistas in a diamond skeleton gown, with skin-toned mesh underneath, the bejeweled bones showing to the tips of her fingers.
From Barron's • May 5, 2026
I’m too stunned to say anything more, and after a second, he heads toward the back of the bus.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
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.
