thunderstruck

C1 Topic:Emotions & Feelings
US /ˈθʌn.dɚ.strʌk/ UK /ˈθʌn.də.strʌk/
adj Freq #55805

Meanings

  1. 1
    adj

    so astonished or shocked that one is temporarily unable to react or speak

    She was thunderstruck by the news that the missing manuscript had been found.

Thesaurus

Synonyms
1 adj · so astonished or shocked... astoundedstunnedstupefiedspeechless
Opposites
unsurprisedcomposed
Word family
Related forms thunderastonishmentshock

Etymology

A compound of thunder + struck. The figurative image is of a person stunned as though physically struck by a thunderbolt; compare Latin attonitus, which likewise developed from "thunderstruck" to "astonished."

Topics

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