ENGLISH DICTIONARY

Shell-shocked

Definition, Meaning & Examples

Part of speech adjective

Quick meaning: Shell-shocked is an adjective meaning (figuratively) Confused as a result of a traumatic experience.

Meaning

(figuratively) Confused as a result of a traumatic experience.

More Meanings

  1. (dated) Stunned or mentally unbalanced by prolonged stress such as experienced in combat or under fire (shell-fire); suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Example Sentences

I lay there, momentarily shell-shocked as, hungover and jet-lagged, I tried to remember what I was doing today. Something important.
A family from Knebworth has been left shell-shocked by the return of their beloved tortoise, more than eight months after she went missing.
With inflationary pressures easing and economic concerns mounting, shell-shocked investors are seeking the protection of government securities.
Glenn Kilbourne had returned from France early that fall, shell-shocked and gassed, and otherwise incapacitated for service in the army—a wreck of his former sterling self.

Word Forms

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include shellshocked, shaken, shocky, footshocked, shock-stalled, shocked.

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Sources & Attribution

FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0

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