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
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
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Recent Examples of thunderstruck
Marin Independent Journal, Mercury News, 31 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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
Adjective
-
The situation only worsens after 9/11, the immediate, unreal impact of which Rivilis sharply captures with a steady pan across a classroom of stunned students, their faces in various states of stricken disbelief, if not simply in their hands.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
20 May 2026
-
Josh Anderson, Jake Evans and Nick Suzuki scored in the second period Thursday night to rally the Canadiens to a 6-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres in Game 5 before a stunned KeyBank Center crowd.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Stewart later surprised Colbert with a few gifts to celebrate his time on The Late Show.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
20 May 2026
-
Employers are often surprised by this scrutiny.—
William Phillips,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2026
Adjective
-
Investigators remain amazed no one was killed, and hopeful the two victims will fully recover.—
Juli McDonald,
CBS News,
13 May 2026
-
Padres season-ticket holders in the 300 level at Petco Park for four years, both were amazed by their baseball weekend.—
Ryan Finley,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
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
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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
Adjective
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And so did a few astonished gasps when a drone shot revealed just how far outside of the Mojave tent her crowd of headbanging bodies stretched.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
17 Apr. 2026
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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
Verb
-
Victor turned to her, startled.—
‘Pemi Aguda,
Literary Hub,
6 May 2026
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The gunfire startled sleeping guests at the Citizen Hotel, which included a wedding party and fans of the rapper Tyler the Creator, who performed at a concert hours earlier.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
And she is just completely dumbstruck by that.—
Mike Fleming Jr,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
-
The parents at this kind of show, of course, are less dumbstruck than the kids: The card is not floating but instead swinging on some string.—
Joseph Vukov,
Chicago Tribune,
29 July 2024
Cite this Entry
“Thunderstruck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/thunderstruck. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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