thunderstruck
/'θʌndəstrʌk/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Adjective: - Extremely surprised or astonished; shocked to the point of being unable to speak or react. This describes a state of profound amazement, as if one has been physically struck by a powerful force like thunder.
Usage
The adjective "thunderstruck" is used to describe a person's reaction to sudden, shocking, or overwhelmingly surprising news or events. It emphasizes a complete and temporary loss of composure due to astonishment. - It typically follows a linking verb like be, feel, or look. - It can be used predicatively (e.g., She was thunderstruck) or attributively before a noun (e.g., a thunderstruck expression).
Examples
Advanced Usage
- "to be left thunderstruck": to be rendered speechless and shocked by something.
- The team was left thunderstruck by their unexpected defeat in the first round.
- "to stare thunderstruck": to look at something or someone with an expression of utter shock.
- She stared thunderstruck at the empty vault where the jewels had been.
Variants and Related Words
- Thunderstricken (adj): An older or less common variant with the same meaning as "thunderstruck."
- Astonished (adj): Feeling great surprise.
- Flabbergasted (adj): Extremely surprised.
- Dumbfounded (adj): So shocked that one is temporarily unable to speak.
Synonyms
- Astonished
- Flabbergasted
- Dumbfounded
- Stunned
- Speechless
- Aghast
Antonyms
- Unimpressed
- Unmoved
- Unsurprised
- Expectant
Related Idioms and Phrases
- Struck dumb: Rendered silent from shock or surprise (closely related in meaning and imagery).
- The news struck him dumb.
- Like a bolt from the blue: A sudden and complete surprise (shares the imagery of a sudden, shocking event).
- Her resignation came like a bolt from the blue.
Adjective
- as if struck dumb with astonishment and surprise
- a circle of policement stood dumbfounded by her denial of having seen the accident
- the flabbergasted aldermen were speechless
- was thunderstruck by the news of his promotion