adjective
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completely taken aback; amazed or shocked
-
rare struck by lightning
Etymology
Origin of thunderstruck
Explanation
When you’re thunderstruck, you’re dumbfounded by something. Only something very shocking can leave you thunderstruck. If you walk by a statue in the park and it starts talking to you, you’ll probably be thunderstruck. If you were struck by lightning, it would stop you in your tracks. That unlikely event is the inspiration for this word, which involves more of a shock to the mind. When you’re thunderstruck, you’re amazed and stunned. The news that you’re pregnant could leave you thunderstruck. An incredible news story could leave you thunderstruck. This is a strong word for when your mind is truly blown.
Vocabulary lists containing thunderstruck
Ungifted
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The Landry News
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Out of My Heart
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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.
The cuts were to go into effect three days later, leaving grant recipients thunderstruck.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2025
More than 90 million Americans watched, thunderstruck, as TV helicopters provided live shots of the action.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 12, 2024
But he was "thunderstruck" when he heard the library faced closure.
From BBC • Nov. 29, 2021
“We were both thunderstruck when we first saw each other,” she said during a video call from Florida, where she was visiting her mother, Toots, who briefly wandered into the frame.
From New York Times • Apr. 15, 2021
“Her little cup,” the mother was explaining, smiling apologetically at the waitress, who was thunderstruck at the thought that the mill’s good country milk was not rich enough for the little girl.
From "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson
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.
