stupefaction
Americannoun
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astonishment
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the act of stupefying or the state of being stupefied
Etymology
Origin of stupefaction
1535–45; < New Latin stupefactiōn- (stem of stupefactiō ) senseless state, equivalent to stupefact ( us ), past participle of stupefacere to stupefy + -iōn- -ion
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.
The glory in “Missa Solemnis” is that of stupefaction.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026
But the purposeful sensory overload mostly yields head-spinning stupefaction, leaving a viewer feeling like Wile E. Coyote after hitting a mesa wall.
From New York Times • Jul. 14, 2021
If it’s a work setting and you’re trying to replicate the familiar, brain-dead stupefaction vibe of a professional meeting, you should consider wearing pants.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 22, 2020
That they often have an asparagus spear etched on the side does not prevent diners from staring with stupefaction at seeing them in their place settings.
From Washington Post • Aug. 2, 2020
The carpenters, after the first and second crashes, had crossed themselves in stupefaction, and when the third crash resounded they fell backward from the building onto the chips of wood.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
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.
