shock value

noun

: usefulness to surprise and usually upset people

He uses offensive language for (its) shock value.

Examples of shock value in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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Corrective information, such as reports pointing out the math fumble in the black spatula study, has less shock value and tends to get lost in the torrent of news around the initial scare. —

F.d. Flam, The Mercury News, 4 Jan. 2025 Don’t leave her in a bind; don’t put shock value on it. —

Jenny Berg, Vogue, 30 Dec. 2024 What was once the premiere superhero parody show on TV has devolved into silly shock value for shock value’s sake, and a lame attempt to make everything an analog for our current political moment. —

Erik Kain, Forbes, 25 Dec. 2024 The resultant climax is actually real here — there’s no condensed milk substitute in sight — but Mitchell’s explicit moment of self-love isn’t just included for shock value. —

David Opie, IndieWire, 7 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for shock value