open-mouthed

adjective

ˌō-pən-ˈmau̇t͟hd  -ˈmau̇tht 

variants or less commonly openmouthed

1

a

: having the mouth open

… bizarre touches such as fireplaces in the form of huge, open-mouthed, monstrous faces.

—Deborah Howard

especially : having the mouth open in an expression of shock, surprise, etc.

The crowd stood open-mouthed with murmurs of wonder …

—Gutzon Borglum

It was an incredible display of batting which left cricket fans … open-mouthed with astonishment.

—dailymail.co.uk

… you'll find the robot working away before an audience of openmouthed viewers.

—Edwards Park

b

: made or done with the mouth open

an open-mouthed yawn

If any open-mouthed kissing is involved in a role, the actor must be informed of this at the audition phase.

—Monty Brower

c

: causing an open-mouthed expression (as of shock or surprise)

[Jennifer] Capriati stared in openmouthed wonder at the sight of so many grown-ups acting like kids.

—S. L. Price

2

of a container : having a wide opening : wide-mouthed

open-mouthed jars

3

: clamorous, vociferous

It is certain that the ladies of this city … are all open-mouthed against the murderers of a sovereign …

—Thomas Jefferson

… if all I have said seems to you but mere open-mouthed praise of these arts, I must say that it is not for nothing that what I have hitherto put before you has taken that form.

—William Morris

openmouthedly

ˌō-pən-ˈmau̇-t͟həd-lē  -thəd- 

adverb

openmouthedness

ˌō-pən-ˈmau̇-t͟həd-nəs 

-thəd-

noun

Synonyms

• amazed
• astonished
• astounded
• awed
• awestruck
• awestricken
• dumbfounded
• dumfounded
• flabbergasted
• marveling
• marvelling
• wondering

Examples of open-mouthed in a Sentence

I stood there open-mouthed, unable to believe what I was seeing.

the stunning view from the mountaintop left us open-mouthed and at a loss for words

Recent Examples on the Web

And her performance is brave, but more for its rawness, its unembarrassed self-referentiality, and its balls-to-the-wall insanity — at one point, Moore’s face, buried in prosthetics and makeup, erupts from her own back in a silent, open-mouthed scream. —Rachel Handler, Vulture, 20 May 2024

Characters race onto rooftops, open-mouthed, their necks craned toward the cosmos. —Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2024

Unlike Edvard Munch’s epic, open-mouthed, two-handed wail, the faces in Johnson’s art are tranquil and composed, not emotional. —Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024

RuPaul told the girls, who reacted to the news with open-mouthed shock. —Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 19 Jan. 2024

For an hour, audiences watched open-mouthed as New Jersey mob boss Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) took his spoiled but essentially sweet daughter, Meadow (Jamie-Lynn Sigler), on a college tour, only to glimpse, at a gas station, an FBI informant who put several of his friends in jail. —Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 7 Feb. 2024

Their son Dylan, 23, gives an open-mouthed expression while his sister Carys, 20, throws out a peace sign for the fun snap. —Marisa Sullivan, Peoplemag, 28 Dec. 2023

Santa asked as my younger daughter sat open-mouthed and speechless. —Monisha Rajesh, Travel + Leisure, 23 Dec. 2023

The houseguests reacted with open-mouthed shock when Smedley informed them of the exit. —Greg Braxton, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Kids Definition

openmouthed

adjective

open·​mouthed ˌō-pən-ˈmau̇t͟hd  -ˈmau̇tht 

1

: having the mouth wide open

2

: struck with amazement or wonder