1
as in stressed
suffering from high levels of physical and especially psychological stress
even after the long furlough, the returning soldiers still felt a little shell-shocked
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in dazed
suffering from mental confusion
shell-shocked survivors who were in dire need of every kind of help
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of shell-shocked
In December 2023, content creator Harinder Singh claimed to have spoken to Webb's older brother, Kayden, who allegedly said that Ryker was healthy and safe, but that he'd been traumatized and shell-shocked during the immediate aftermath of the incident.
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Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 4 Dec. 2025
The former was shell-shocked by one of the worst offensive lines imaginable in 2021 and eventually flat-lined.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 20 Oct. 2025
Quarterback Ty Simpson, who looked a little shell-shocked in Tallahassee, has looked much more comfortable throwing the ball.
—Quentin Corpuel, Kansas City Star, 9 Oct. 2025
Global investors were shell-shocked on Tuesday after President Donald Trump struck another blow at the Federal Reserve's independence, caught between the concerns over politicisation of policy and the payoffs for markets.
—Kevin Buckland, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
That likability should help appease an employee base which has become shell-shocked with cuts and layoffs over decades of mergers.
—Lillian Rizzo,alex Sherman, CNBC, 22 Aug. 2025
After four years of heavy subsidies and easing of permitting restrictions under the Biden presidency, those industries must be feeling a bit shell-shocked over the steady stream of bad news coming at them from Washington, DC since January 20.
—David Blackmon, Forbes.com, 9 July 2025
McCartney added, still visibly amused and a bit shell-shocked at their Ed Sullivan Show-era American reception.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
But what left investors shell-shocked was third quarter guidance that pegged revenues to be down 9 percent to 11 percent.
—Vicki M. Young, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shell-shocked
Adjective
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But overall, this is a rare dash of good news for financially stressed tenants.—
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Too Much Water This is one of the main causes of stressed, leaf-dropping poinsettias.—
Adjective
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The scramble to get the show launched has left Tierney and Brady a bit dazed.—
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Meanwhile, the Golden Globes has officially added a podcast category, and even though no one quite knows what to make of it, folks seem dazed enough to roll with it nevertheless.—
Adjective
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Snook and Lacy, who display such sharp instincts in their best work, seem to have been directed to overact; cameras freeze on their exaggeratedly bewildered or angry or devastated expressions, putting exclamation points at the end of too many scenes.—
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Instead, a bewildered stranger answers the door.—
Adjective
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Goedert scored his second touchdown on a fourth-and-2 leaving a confused Malik Mustapha behind him in the left flat.—
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Yet many of its citizens feel both whiplashed and confused.—
Adjective
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Farley, who looks stunned, examines it.—
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The woman shot and killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in Minneapolis was a loving mother, a poet and a partner whose family – along with neighbors across her stunned city and strangers far beyond – is shocked by the circumstances surrounding her death.—
Adjective
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In Arizona, our driving laws are influenced by factors like busy freeways in metro Phoenix, monsoon season flooding, outdated transportation modes and distracted driving laws.—
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That the impossible standards we're sold are designed to keep us small, distracted, and spending money on the next fix.—
Cite this Entry
“Shell-shocked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shell-shocked. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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