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sticker shock
noun
: astonishment and dismay experienced on being informed of a product's unexpectedly high price
Examples of sticker shock in a Sentence
We left the store suffering severe sticker shock.
Recent Examples on the Web
After all, prices are up by 22.7% from five years ago, compared with an 8.9% increase in the five-year period from 2014-2019, so everyone continues to live with some measure of sticker shock.
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Jill Schlesinger, The Mercury News, 30 Dec. 2024
Image People who wanted to live in TriBeCa or SoHo may have been stunned by sticker shock in 2024.
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Josh Ocampo, New York Times, 29 Dec. 2024
With the average price of a new vehicle having skyrocketed by around $10,000 over the last five years, car shoppers are justifiably suffering from sticker shock, with the affordability problem being exacerbated by financing rates that have nearly doubled since 2022.
—
Jim Gorzelany, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
Inflation remained on our minds and on our ballots
Trump is returning to White House partially because of voters' continued sticker shock following 40-year-high inflation.
—
Interactive Graphics Team, USA TODAY, 19 Dec. 2024
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Word History
First Known Use
1981, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near sticker shock
Cite this Entry
“Sticker shock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sticker%20shock. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.
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