: 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
While the sensation is shocking and a little painful, brain freezes won’t cause any actual harm.
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Julia Daye, Popular Science, 2 Apr. 2026
The strong middle of the season helps The Testaments overcome its repetitive and mechanical beginnings, building to a shocking (if not wholly earned) penultimate episode — that’s then undone by a return to the Handmaid’s Tale Redux predictability of the finale.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 2 Apr. 2026
After a debut season as shocking and raw as Aunt Lydia’s aforementioned act of discipline, Bruce Miller’s adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s landmark novel drifted into repetitious patterns with a familiarity that dulled their impact.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 2 Apr. 2026
Instead of a normal merge vote, the Survivor tribes were mashed together — with a shocking 17 people left in the game — then randomly redistributed into three new groups.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shocking
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Julia Daye, Popular Science, 2 Apr. 2026
The strong middle of the season helps The Testaments overcome its repetitive and mechanical beginnings, building to a shocking (if not wholly earned) penultimate episode — that’s then undone by a return to the Handmaid’s Tale Redux predictability of the finale.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 2 Apr. 2026
After a debut season as shocking and raw as Aunt Lydia’s aforementioned act of discipline, Bruce Miller’s adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s landmark novel drifted into repetitious patterns with a familiarity that dulled their impact.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 2 Apr. 2026
Instead of a normal merge vote, the Survivor tribes were mashed together — with a shocking 17 people left in the game — then randomly redistributed into three new groups.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 2 Apr. 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 3 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
shocking
adjective
shock·ing
: causing horror or disgust
a shocking crime
shocking behavior
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