: extremely startling, distressing, or offensive
shocking news
Synonyms
Examples of shocking in a Sentence
The number of young teenagers who smoke is shocking.
a shocking waste of money
The building is in a shocking state.
Recent Examples on the Web
In November 1963, President Kennedy was shot and killed during a motorcade in Dallas, and the shocking moment instigated a period of mourning across the nation.
—
Thomas Smith, Billboard, 29 Nov. 2024
See 20 of the year's most shocking splits, including Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, Channing Tatum and Zoë Kravitz and Cardi B and Offset
Comments
These celebrity breakups had everybody talking.
2024 saw several A-list couples split, whether that was quietly, publicly or — sometimes — messily.
—Brendan Le, People.com, 28 Nov. 2024
The show is jam-packed with shocking twists and turns, culminating in a dizzying finale that concludes Muncie’s journey.
—Barry Levitt, TIME, 28 Nov. 2024
The Thunder beat the Suns to kick off NBA Cup play, then fell to the Spurs in a shocking loss to get to 1-1 in this stage.
—Nick Crain, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for shocking 
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Thomas Smith, Billboard, 29 Nov. 2024
See 20 of the year's most shocking splits, including Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, Channing Tatum and Zoë Kravitz and Cardi B and Offset
Comments
These celebrity breakups had everybody talking.
2024 saw several A-list couples split, whether that was quietly, publicly or — sometimes — messily.
—Brendan Le, People.com, 28 Nov. 2024
The show is jam-packed with shocking twists and turns, culminating in a dizzying finale that concludes Muncie’s journey.
—Barry Levitt, TIME, 28 Nov. 2024
The Thunder beat the Suns to kick off NBA Cup play, then fell to the Spurs in a shocking loss to get to 1-1 in this stage.
—Nick Crain, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for shocking
Dictionary Entries Near shocking
Cite this Entry
“Shocking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shocking. Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shocking
adjective
shock·ing
: causing horror or disgust
a shocking crime
shocking behavior
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