gobsmacked

adjective

gob·​smacked ˈgäb-ˌsmakt 

chiefly British, informal

: overwhelmed with wonder, surprise, or shock : astounded

Several minutes later I touch the bottom, pleased to discover that Louise—despite all her experience exploring caves elsewhere in the world—is as gobsmacked as I am. "This place is huge, and daylit," she says, her face glazed with awe.

—Gregory Crouch

Thus, when the cell-phone video surfaced, fashion insiders were so gobsmacked that to this day they'll tell you where they were when they first heard about it.

—Ingrid Sischy

Examples of gobsmacked in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The group — consisting of Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone, Chris Kirkpatrick and Lance Bass — spent their time onstage reminiscing about their MTV salad days, basking in the glow of the adoring audience, and getting some serious love from a gobsmacked Swift. —Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 15 Sep. 2023

The phrase appeared last March, much as a wildflower might: with sudden, almost gobsmacked abandon, born in preparation of its own demise. —Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2021

Everyone, including the Israeli delegation, looked gobsmacked. —Alejandro Varela, Harper's magazine, 16 Sep. 2019

Word History

Etymology

gob entry 2 + smack entry 4 + -ed entry 1

First Known Use

1956, in the meaning defined above