stupor

American  

[stoo-per, styoo-] / ˈstu pər, ˈstyu- /

noun

1. suspension or great diminution of sensibility, as in disease or as caused by narcotics, intoxicants, etc..

   He lay there in a drunken stupor.

2. mental torpor; apathy; stupefaction.

   Synonyms:

   daze, lethargy, inertia

---

stupor British  

/ ˈstjuːpə /

noun

1. a state of unconsciousness

2. mental dullness; torpor

---

Other Word Forms

• stuporous adjective

Etymology

Origin of stupor

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin: “astonishment, insensibility,” equivalent to stup(ēre) “to be numb, to be stunned” + -or -or ¹

Example Sentences

In a half stupor, I turned around, but that brought Mr. Haber’s office directly into my sightline.

From Literature

All this gives the affair a narcoleptic quality, where flashes of radiance are quickly overwhelmed by everything else as we’re put back into our stupor.

From The Wall Street Journal

Hadel finally broke from her stupor as well, but she didn’t come to me.

From Literature

I leaned my head against the window and fell into a stupor somewhere between sleep and dread.

From Literature

How much can a film criticize big tech’s spell over children when the long-running “Toy Story” franchise is similarly designed to lure its audience into a stupor, and for increasingly diminishing returns.

From Salon

Related Words

• coma
• slumber
• trance