1
as in startling
causing a strong emotional reaction because of unexpectedness
we all clustered around to hear the shocking news of our colleague's sudden death
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in terrifying
causing fear
the shocking appearance of a shark just a few yards off shore
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in sickening
causing intense displeasure, disgust, or resentment
the shocking behavior of some rowdies at the dance
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4
as in gruesome
extremely disturbing or repellent
a soldier who had witnessed the shocking sight of his best friend being killed
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in appalling
to cause an unpleasant surprise for
Mom was shocked by the terrible news that her cousin had died in an accident I was shocked to find out that I was the victim of identity theft
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in surprising
to make a strong impression on (someone) with something unexpected
were shocked by the way the law against public intoxication was constantly being broken
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3
as in frightening
to strike with fear
the sudden appearance of the ghost shocked us to the core
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of shocking
Charlotte Sweeney Obe, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
An argument escalates into shocking violence, and Simon loses his little girl all over again.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 21 Jan. 2025
Daniel D'addario, Variety, 21 Oct. 2024
But rather than play up the murders’ shocking gore or give momentum to Lois’ investigation, the first few episodes are content to linger in the investigator’s ennui.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 4 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for shocking 
Adjective
When a shocking event takes place, many organizations try to send communications out quickly—and these messages tend to be rushed, emotionally driven and sometimes poorly worded or executed.
—Charlotte Sweeney Obe, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
An argument escalates into shocking violence, and Simon loses his little girl all over again.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 21 Jan. 2025
Verb
In the show’s two signature numbers, both of them Norma’s declarations of her own worthiness, Scherzinger stands at center stage and belts with shocking vocal power and agility, surrounded by purgatorial swirls of smoke and blown out by that Lloydian white light.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 21 Oct. 2024
But rather than play up the murders’ shocking gore or give momentum to Lois’ investigation, the first few episodes are content to linger in the investigator’s ennui.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 4 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for shocking
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shocking
Adjective
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Some stats set to be fired off at Content Americas will make for startling viewing.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
20 Jan. 2025
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The repeat president has just shy of 15 million followers on TikTok, but the appearance of his name on the app’s welcome screen was nevertheless startling to many.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
19 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Cumberbatch, in a few moments, expresses the depth of this father’s agony, the terrifying chasm of it.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
26 Jan. 2025
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Six episodes centre on a variety of different dinosaurs, from terrifying carnivores to docile herbivores.—
John Yoo and John Shu,
Newsweek,
23 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Respiratory viruses are continuing to spread across the United States, sickening millions of Americans.—
Mary Kekatos,
ABC News,
20 Jan. 2025
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Escaping the sickening air pollution triggered by the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles has become a game of which algorithm to trust.—
Paresh Dave,
WIRED,
16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Shanks brilliantly paces the story out with several pieces of foreshadowing, including a rat king as symbolism for toxic codependency, mirroring a gruesome story Tim tells Millie about his father’s death and his mother’s mental health.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
27 Jan. 2025
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Unlike the gruesome, bloodthirsty creatures of classic films and literature, Cullen and his family abstain from drinking the blood of humans.—
Edward Segarra,
USA TODAY,
27 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Denver was one of the more surprising teams in the NFL this season, finishing 10-7 and making the playoffs for the first time since winning the Super Bowl in 2015.—
Antwan Staley,
New York Daily News,
25 Jan. 2025
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Patrick Gaspard, the president of the Center for American Progress, a liberal research group, said the lack of Democratic mobilization was not surprising, given that few in the party were shocked by Mr. Trump’s 2024 victory.—
Reid J. Epstein,
New York Times,
24 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Listen to this article California’s blazing wildfires and last year’s destructive hurricanes in the Southeast are frightening examples of the dramatic impacts of climate change.—
Adriana Pérez,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Jan. 2025
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Coming full circle, the FBI also warned users to beware this frightening new threat in a special advisory last month.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes,
18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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My TikTok really blew up somewhere between my videos taste-testing a really disgusting medication and my series about dating.—
Brooke Eby,
People.com,
23 Jan. 2025
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Billions Of Jellyfish Wash Up On Beach By Jess Thomson Science Reporter 1 A plague of bizarre and disgusting balls that have washed up along popular beaches in Australia have been found to contain fecal bacteria.—
Raul A. Reyes,
Newsweek,
22 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Beloved Hollywood couple Alison Brie and Dave Franco have teamed up on the big screen a handful of times already but their new collaboration tests their coupledom in new and horrific ways.—
Chris Gardner,
The Hollywood Reporter,
26 Jan. 2025
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Fires shine spotlight on power lines Power lines are again drawing the spotlight as a potential cause of the horrific blazes.—
Bart Jansen,
USA TODAY,
24 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near shocking
Cite this Entry
“Shocking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shocking. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
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