slack-jawed

adjective

ˈslak-ˌjȯd 

1

: having the lower jaw dropped especially in an expression of surprise, amazement, etc.

… slack-jawed tourists gather on the packed streets of Times Square to witness the spectacle …

—Dan Snierson et al.

They opened the season by sweeping the Tigers in Detroit, and their long-suffering fans sat slack-jawed, wondering if the Kansas City Royals had finally turned the corner.

—The New York Times

… left most of the critics slack-jawed with admiration.

—Marybeth Kerrigan

2

: lacking intelligence or sophistication

… trust me when I say that I am, in fact, a slack-jawed yokel in the Big City who doesn't understand how things work.

—Tracy Moore

Everyday voters are angry because they perceive a very small number of arrogant, well-connected insiders as profiting from these programs while the rest of us are being played like slack-jawed rubes.

—The Brandon (Canada) Sun (online)

3

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

I got in a car and drove without pause to Cooperstown to stare in slack-jawed wonder at every mesmerizing display.

—Steve Rushin

Word History

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined at sense 1