as in shocked
to cause an unpleasant surprise for
the news that we had failed the auto inspection shook us up
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 shaken up
Marvel has shaken up its comics publishing unit.
—
Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 18 May 2026
He was shaken up by the incident, Moser said.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 16 May 2026
The 2026 midterms are already being shaken up by populist firebrands and antiestablishment outsiders.
—James Desio, Washington Post, 15 May 2026
Hassan said he was too shaken up from the incident and declined to take the flight Frontier offered him for free to Los Angeles on Saturday morning.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 9 May 2026
Dan Vladar, shaken up a bit in the third with an apparent right hand or wrist injury, stopped 28 shots and again outplayed embattled Stuart Skinner in net.
—CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026
Chewy Bolivian cuñapes are shaken up with the aromatic flavors of garlic bread.
—Shilpa Uskokovic, Bon Appetit Magazine, 21 Apr. 2026
Practical Magic 2 sees the lives of sisters Sally Owens (Bullock) and Gillian Owens (Kidman) shaken up when a mysterious figure (Lee Pace) arrives in their quaint New England town with a new quest for them.
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
These incidents are part of a larger break-in problem that has shaken up San Fernando Valley residents over the last year.
—Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026
Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 18 May 2026
He was shaken up by the incident, Moser said.
—Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 16 May 2026
The 2026 midterms are already being shaken up by populist firebrands and antiestablishment outsiders.
—James Desio, Washington Post, 15 May 2026
Hassan said he was too shaken up from the incident and declined to take the flight Frontier offered him for free to Los Angeles on Saturday morning.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 9 May 2026
Dan Vladar, shaken up a bit in the third with an apparent right hand or wrist injury, stopped 28 shots and again outplayed embattled Stuart Skinner in net.
—CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026
Chewy Bolivian cuñapes are shaken up with the aromatic flavors of garlic bread.
—Shilpa Uskokovic, Bon Appetit Magazine, 21 Apr. 2026
Practical Magic 2 sees the lives of sisters Sally Owens (Bullock) and Gillian Owens (Kidman) shaken up when a mysterious figure (Lee Pace) arrives in their quaint New England town with a new quest for them.
—Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
These incidents are part of a larger break-in problem that has shaken up San Fernando Valley residents over the last year.
—Kevinisha Walker, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shaken up
Verb
-
Beyoncé made her Met Gala return in a showstopping silver ensemble with husband Jay-Z and daughter Blue Ivy at her side, while Rihanna shut down the carpet with a fashionably late entrance, and music icons Madonna, Stevie Nicks and Cher shocked everyone with their presence on the carpet.—
Swasti Singhai,
USA Today,
20 May 2026
-
In another part of the lab, cells were being shocked with electricity to open up their walls or were glowing eerily on petri dishes.—
Alex Morris,
Rolling Stone,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
The Lord in your convent frightened me, Jesus with his bloody palms and gaping mouth, eyes rolled back in terror.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 May 2026
-
Lee Cronin was both flattered and frightened when Jason Blum suggested titling his The Mummy reimagining as Lee Cronin’s The Mummy.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
And then other people had been waiting a really long time and were scared of their rights being taken away or scared that their families wouldn't approve.—
Jack Irvin,
PEOPLE,
19 May 2026
-
Outside Idlib, most Syrians have never seen or met a Uyghur fighter before, and the conservative Sunni Muslim beliefs held by many Uyghurs in Syria have scared Syria's minority communities.—
Emily Feng,
NPR,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shaken up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shaken%20up. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
