Stunned Meaning and Definition

Stunned

Stunned

Pronunciation

/stʌnd/

Part of Speech

Adjective

Definition

Completely shocked or stunned, often in a short and sudden manner, leaving one feeling temporarily frozen or unable to respond.

Examples

  • Suddenly, the announcement left her stunned and speechless.
  • The news was so shocking that it left him stunned and disbelieving.
  • The public was stunned by the sudden resignation of the CEO.
  • After the accident, she was left stunned and unable to move.
  • The crowd was stunned into silence when the performer suddenly fell off the stage.

Etymology

The word “stunned” originates from the Old Norse word “stjónna”, meaning “to strike” or “to stun”.

Usage Notes

Stunned is often used to describe a temporary state of shock or disorientation, but it can also imply a sense of impact or surprise.

Cultural References

Stunned has appeared in various cultural contexts, including literature, film, and television. For example, the phrase “left stunned” has been used in popular TV shows and books to describe a character’s reaction to unexpected news.

Idiomatic Expressions or Phrases

Expressions such as “left stunned”, “stunned silent”, and “stunned into silence” are used to convey a sense of shock or surprise.

Related Words or Phrases

Words like “astounded”, “dazed”, and “gobsmacked” share similar meanings with “stunned”, while phrases like “out of it” and “in shock” convey a similar sense of disorientation.

Collocations

Stunned often collocates with words like “silent”, “speechless”, “motionless”, and “unresponsive”, emphasizing the temporary inability to react or respond.

Frequency of Use

Stunned is a relatively common word in modern language, particularly in contexts where sudden and unexpected events occur.

Common Misspellings

Common misspellings include “stunch”, “stunnedly”, and “stunnedlyness”, but the correct spelling is simply “stunned” with no additional suffixes.

Related Words