shell-shocked

adjective

ˈshel-ˌshäkt 

1

: affected with shell shock or combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder

She sometimes had psychoneurotic cases on board, shell-shocked men whose behavior could not be predicted.

—Doris Weatherford

Sassoon was familiar with such rough-and-ready treatment, part of which encouraged shell-shocked soldiers to repress their memories of the trenches, shake themselves out of their depression, and carry on manfully.

—Roger J. Spiller

2

: mentally confused, upset, or exhausted as a result of a highly stressful or disturbing and often unexpected event or experience

She was shell-shocked, reeling from her loss in Iowa and polls that showed her cratering in New Hampshire.

—Joe Klein

… shell-shocked consumers were pledging their allegiance to the "New Frugality." Chastened by the brutal lessons of the worst economic downturn in decades, Americans swore off conspicuous consumption and resolved to embrace the thrifty ways of their grandparents …

—Stefan Theil

Synonyms

• stressed
• stressed-out

Examples of shell-shocked in a Sentence

even after the long furlough, the returning soldiers still felt a little shell-shocked

shell-shocked survivors who were in dire need of every kind of help

Recent Examples on the Web

Between the lines: Builders were shell-shocked by the housing crash and barely added any new stock to the market for almost a decade. —Jessica Boehm, Axios, 9 Dec. 2024

Acknowledging that many on the left are shell-shocked by the breadth of Trump’s win, the firebrand Bronx/Queens lawmaker told her followers to sit tight while the left regroups and figures out how best to push back. —Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 11 Nov. 2024

In the immediate term, business leaders woke up this morning to the reality that a sizable percentage of their customers and employees are shell-shocked and deeply upset. —Diane Brady, Fortune, 6 Nov. 2024

Nothing to be shell-shocked about As part of his overhaul, Sawan scrapped some offshore wind and hydrogen projects, sparking concerns over whether the company’s transition to low-carbon fuels is taking a backseat. —Byprarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 23 Oct. 2024

At first, Art seems shell-shocked by Sienna’s power, but soon regains his mischievous homicidal urges. —Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024

Fans leaving Dodger Stadium Sunday night were shell-shocked after watching four homers fly into the Los Angeles night in just two innings, allowing the Padres to even the series at one game apiece after a 10-2 blowout. —Dan Freedman, Forbes, 12 Oct. 2024

Fresh out of her costume of flight fatigues and into an exquisite black Saint Laurent evening coat over a Burberry silver-mesh dress, D’Angelo was radiant if a bit shell-shocked at the post-show gathering. —Christopher Barnard, Vogue, 24 Sep. 2024

Still McVay, perhaps shell-shocked from the previous weeks, steeled himself for a possible change. —Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1915, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

shell-shocked

adjective

ˈshel-ˌshäkt

1

: affected with shell shock

2

: mentally confused, upset, or exhausted as the result of being under too much stress

Medical Definition

shell-shocked

adjective

ˈshel-ˌshäkt 

: affected with combat fatigue