thunderstruck 1 of 2

adjective

as in stunned
affected with sudden and great wonder or surprise the teen was thunderstruck when his parents told him he had been adopted

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

thunderstruck

2 of 2

verb

past tense of thunderstrike
as in surprised
to make a strong impression on (someone) with something unexpected everyone was thunderstruck when she quit her job without warning

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of thunderstruck
Adjective
Dolly was thunderstruck but hardly resigned to life as a has-been. — Martha Ackmann, Vulture, 27 Aug. 2026 The baseball-loving family members were thunderstruck at spotting the T206 Honus Wagner in the frame. — Marin Independent Journal, Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for thunderstruck
  1. stunned
  2. surprised
  3. amazed
  4. shocked
  5. astonished
  6. startled
  7. dumbstruck
Adjective
  • Chelsea and Everton were left stunned after Monaco called off the sale of Lamine Camara to the former English club, only for his team-mate and USMNT striker Folarin Balogun to pull out of a move to the latter.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026
  • One of his cousins raises a fist in triumph as everyone files out, completely stunned that this day actually arrived.
    — Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of stunned
Verb
  • Bruce Springsteen surprised the coastal crowd during Bleachers‘ show in Asbury Park to deliver a pair of nostalgic Jersey-centric songs on Friday night.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 29 Aug. 2026
  • In this time, Lamb surprised some people by voting to ordain Gene Robinson, a gay man, as bishop in 2003.
    — Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of surprised
Adjective
  • Experts are amazed to see such progress in the humanoid robot industry.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • When ChatGPT came out in 2022, a lot of people were amazed at how human-like the bot was.
    — Michael Foster, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of amazed
Verb
  • Equity investors will be shocked when there’s no pushback from the White House or the Treasury.
    — Kelly Evans, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Foreign visitors were shocked to hear the man hailed as nothing less than a god, the Sun of Korea.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of shocked
Adjective
  • Further stories illuminate emotional realities burrowed deep within enormously likeable characters, often moving the reader (or this reader anyway) to astonished tears.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Apr. 2026
  • One that draws more approving thumbs-ups, creates more astonished grins, or pulls more phones from pockets for impromptu photographs and video—especially in stunning Verde Ermes metallic paint.
    — Michael Harley, Forbes.com, 19 Jan. 2026
Definition of astonished
Verb
  • This horror movie mostly just smelled of fake fog from a community theater production and occasionally you were startled by random bursts of air, once again pulling you from the events on screen.
    — Meredith G. White, AZCentral.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Of those who were injured, officials said that many were hurt while falling down or hitting themselves against furniture after being startled by the earthquake while sleeping.
    — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of startled
Adjective
  • And she is just completely dumbstruck by that.
    — Mike Fleming Jr, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Lyons can be a brilliant agent of chaos, a person whose presence left castmates starstruck before her bluntness left them dumbstruck.
    — Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 13 July 2023
Definition of dumbstruck

Browse Nearby Words

thunderstriking
thunderstruck
thunk
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Cite this Entry

“Thunderstruck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thunderstruck. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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