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.
Another groomfluencer, Ethan Lounsbury, 27, was stunned by how quickly he monetized his social media posts directed at husbands-to-be.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
The 23-year-old stunned the San Siro on Sunday, equalising in stoppage-time for relegated-Hellas Verona to play party-pooper at Inter Milan's title party.
From BBC • May 18, 2026
Valeria Luiselli stunned the literary world with her 2019 novel “Lost Children Archive,” which beautifully explored themes of family and immigration.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 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
Lola exclaimed, gazing about as if she was even more stunned than the two kids.
From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix
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.
