: extremely startling, distressing, or offensive
shocking news
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
Episodes of One Day in My Body feature powerful first-person stories from those who have experienced shocking medical conditions, including a woman born with no eyes, a man whose entire lower half of his body was amputated, and more.
—
Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 6 May 2026
Even in a sample size that remains fairly small, the gap between the two conferences is shocking.
—Jesse Granger, New York Times, 6 May 2026
Even for an artist like Kinsella who’s never been shy about autobiographical literalism in his music, some of the revelations felt shocking.
—Sam Sodomsky, Pitchfork, 4 May 2026
Directors Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan brought the novel to Broadway in 2017, with an electric and shocking new version starring Tom Sturridge, Olivia Wilde, and Reed Birney.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for shocking
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Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 6 May 2026
Even in a sample size that remains fairly small, the gap between the two conferences is shocking.
—Jesse Granger, New York Times, 6 May 2026
Even for an artist like Kinsella who’s never been shy about autobiographical literalism in his music, some of the revelations felt shocking.
—Sam Sodomsky, Pitchfork, 4 May 2026
Directors Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan brought the novel to Broadway in 2017, with an electric and shocking new version starring Tom Sturridge, Olivia Wilde, and Reed Birney.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for shocking
Cite this Entry
“Shocking.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shocking. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shocking
adjective
shock·ing
: causing horror or disgust
a shocking crime
shocking behavior
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