shell shock

noun

1. battle fatigue.

shell shock

noun

1. loss of sight, memory, etc, resulting from psychological strain during prolonged engagement in warfare Also calledcombat neurosis

Other Words From

• shell-shocked shellshocked adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of shell shock¹

First recorded in 1915–20

Example Sentences

Three-year-old Yuna, who has shell shock, arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden on 17 August and stayed inside her enclosure for a week.

From BBC

Yuna, a three-year-old lioness, has shell shock but it is hoped she can now heal at her new home at The Big Cat Sanctuary, in Smarden.

From BBC

It started off as battle fatigue, and then it evolved into shell shock.

From Los Angeles Times

Doctors then discovered he was suffering from shell shock.

From BBC

Under the stress of trench warfare, some soldiers seemed to suffer nervous breakdowns, a condition that became known as shell shock.

From Literature