shell-shocked

adjective

ˈshel-ˌshäkt 

1

: affected with shell shock or combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder

She sometimes had psychoneurotic cases on board, shell-shocked men whose behavior could not be predicted.

—Doris Weatherford

Sassoon was familiar with such rough-and-ready treatment, part of which encouraged shell-shocked soldiers to repress their memories of the trenches, shake themselves out of their depression, and carry on manfully.

—Roger J. Spiller

2

: mentally confused, upset, or exhausted as a result of a highly stressful or disturbing and often unexpected event or experience

She was shell-shocked, reeling from her loss in Iowa and polls that showed her cratering in New Hampshire.

—Joe Klein

… shell-shocked consumers were pledging their allegiance to the "New Frugality." Chastened by the brutal lessons of the worst economic downturn in decades, Americans swore off conspicuous consumption and resolved to embrace the thrifty ways of their grandparents …

—Stefan Theil

Synonyms

• stressed
• stressed-out

Examples of shell-shocked in a Sentence

even after the long furlough, the returning soldiers still felt a little shell-shocked

shell-shocked survivors who were in dire need of every kind of help

Recent Examples on the Web

Fresh out of her costume of flight fatigues and into an exquisite black Saint Laurent evening coat over a Burberry silver-mesh dress, D’Angelo was radiant if a bit shell-shocked at the post-show gathering. —Christopher Barnard, Vogue, 24 Sep. 2024

Still McVay, perhaps shell-shocked from the previous weeks, steeled himself for a possible change. —Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2024

His subjects articulate the dead-eyed fear and deep confusion many of them can not shake about what happened to them that day; the emotional spectrum of these young Israelis stretches from shell-shocked to rage-filled to affable to ashamed. —Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 23 Sep. 2024

After all, at the end of season 1, fans were shell-shocked to learn that in the future, Stephen was engaged to Lucy's childhood best friend, Lydia (Natalee Linez). —Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 4 Sep. 2024

Instead, the supporters who had assembled were subdued and looked shell-shocked. —Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY, 14 July 2024

The shaken response to 81-year-old Biden’s capacities after his stumbling and sometimes shell-shocked stint on stage with Trump at CNN HQ on June 27 has not quelled over the last week. —Ted Johnson, Deadline, 1 July 2024

Accepting her award from Amber Tamblyn and Zach Braff, De Matteo was shell-shocked. —Randee Dawn, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2024

The Texans have faced lesser QBs of late besides Flacco (Zach Wilson, Will Levis, Ryan Tannehill, Gardner Minshew) and will be shell-shocked by the multi-talented Jackson. —Bill Reinhard, New York Daily News, 18 Jan. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1915, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

shell-shocked

adjective

ˈshel-ˌshäkt

1

: affected with shell shock

2

: mentally confused, upset, or exhausted as the result of being under too much stress

Medical Definition

shell-shocked

adjective

ˈshel-ˌshäkt 

: affected with combat fatigue