shocking

[ shok-ing ]

adjective

1. causing intense surprise, disgust, horror, etc.

   Synonyms: appalling, startling, astounding, staggering

2. very bad:

   shocking manners.

shocking

/ ˈʃɒkɪŋ /

adjective

1. causing shock, horror, or disgust
2. shocking pink
   a vivid or garish shade of pink
3. informal.
   very bad or terrible

   shocking weather

Derived Forms

• ˈshockingly, adverb
• ˈshockingness, noun

Other Words From

• shocking·ly adverb
• shocking·ness noun
• un·shocking adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of shocking¹

First recorded in 1685–95; shock ¹ + -ing ²

Example Sentences

A Unifil spokesman in Geneva said UN peacekeepers were seeing increased levels of violence, with "huge, shocking" destruction across the blue line - the UN-recognised boundary that separates Israel and Lebanon.

From BBC

"It was hard for weeks in the hospital, just watching, shocking," McGuigan said tearfully.

From BBC

“To see that people are still auctioning our ancestral human remains in the 21st Century was shocking,” she said.

From BBC

Read some of the documentary's most shocking moments:

From Salon

Gatland's statistics for his second stint as Wales head coach are shocking.

From BBC

Related Words

• appalling
• awful
• disgraceful
• disgusting
• disquieting
• distressing
• dreadful
• ghastly
• heinous
• horrible
• horrific
• horrifying
• shameful
• terrible
• ugly