SHOCKING: Synonyms and Related Words. What is Another Word for SHOCKING?

Need another word that means the same as “shocking”? Find 48 synonyms and 30 related words for “shocking” in this overview.

The synonyms of “Shocking” are: disgraceful, scandalous, shameful, lurid, appalling, horrifying, horrific, dreadful, awful, frightful, terrible, horrible, outrageous, vile, abominable, ghastly, foul, monstrous, unspeakable, abhorrent, hideous, atrocious, repellent, revolting, odious, repulsive, repugnant, disgusting, nauseating, sickening, grisly, loathsome, offensive, distressing, upsetting, perturbing, disturbing, disquieting, unsettling, agitating, severe, serious, grave, critical, grievous, acute, dire, grim

Shocking as an Adjective

Definitions of "Shocking" as an adjective

According to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “shocking” as an adjective can have the following definitions:

  • Giving offense to moral sensibilities and injurious to reputation- Thackeray.
  • Very bad.
  • Giving offense to moral sensibilities and injurious to reputation.
  • Glaringly vivid and graphic; marked by sensationalism.
  • Causing indignation or disgust; offensive.
  • Causing a feeling of surprise and dismay.

Synonyms of "Shocking" as an adjective (48 Words)

abhorrentOffensive to the mind.
Racism was abhorrent to us all.
abominableExceptionally bad or displeasing.
What an abominable mess.
acuteDenoting or designed for patients with an acute form of a disease.
An acute sense of smell.
agitatingCausing or tending to cause anger or resentment.
appallingCausing consternation.
His conduct was appalling.
atrociousProvoking horror.
He attempted an atrocious imitation of my English accent.
awfulInspiring reverential wonder or fear.
The awful war.
criticalCharacterized by careful evaluation and judgment.
A critical analysis of Melville s writings.
direOf a very poor quality.
He was in dire need of help.
disgracefulGiving offense to moral sensibilities and injurious to reputation- Thackeray.
It is disgraceful that they should be denied unemployment benefits.
disgustingHighly offensive; arousing aversion or disgust.
He had the most disgusting rotten teeth.
disquietingCausing mental discomfort.
The disquieting sounds of nearby gunfire.
distressingCausing anxiety, sorrow or pain; upsetting.
Some very distressing news.
disturbingCausing anxiety; worrying.
A disturbing amount of crime.
dreadfulExtremely disagreeable and unpleasant.
There s been a dreadful accident.
foulOf a baseball not hit between the foul lines.
Foul language.
frightfulExtreme in degree or extent or amount or impact.
In a frightful hurry.
ghastlyVery objectionable, bad, or unpleasant.
One of the most ghastly crimes ever committed.
graveDignified and somber in manner or character and committed to keeping promises.
A grave situation.
grievousCausing or marked by grief or anguish.
His death was a grievous blow.
grimHarshly ironic or sinister.
Grim necessity.
grislyShockingly repellent; inspiring horror.
The town was shaken by a series of grisly crimes.
hideousExtremely ugly.
A hideous pattern of injustice.
horribleVery unpleasant.
A horrible massacre.
horrificCausing horror.
Horrific injuries.
horrifyingProvoking horror- Winston Churchill.
An alarming even horrifying picture.
loathsomeHighly offensive; arousing aversion or disgust.
This loathsome little swine.
luridUnpleasantly bright in colour, especially so as to create a harsh or unnatural effect.
Lurid flames.
monstrousInhumanly or outrageously evil or wrong.
The monstrous tidal wave swamped the surrounding countryside.
nauseatingCausing or liable to cause a feeling of nausea or disgust; disgusting.
A nauseating smell.
odiousUnequivocally detestable- Edmund Burke.
Consequences odious to those you govern.
offensiveMorally offensive.
Offensive operations against the insurgents.
outrageousVery bold and unusual and rather shocking.
Spends an outrageous amount on entertainment.
perturbingCausing distress or worry or anxiety.
There were two scenes that I think would be perturbing to small children.
repellentAble to repel a particular thing; impervious to a particular substance.
A water repellent fabric.
repugnantExtremely distasteful; unacceptable.
Cannibalism seems repugnant to us.
repulsiveArousing intense distaste or disgust.
Repulsive behavior.
revoltingHighly offensive; arousing aversion or disgust.
Revolting food.
scandalousGiving offense to moral sensibilities and injurious to reputation- Thackeray.
A scandalous allegation.
seriousRequiring effort or concentration; complex and not easy to answer or solve.
Raised serious objections to the proposal.
severeSeverely simple.
A severe blow.
shamefulGiving offense to moral sensibilities and injurious to reputation.
A shameful accusation.
sickeningCausing or liable to cause a feeling of nausea or disgust.
She hit the ground with a sickening thud.
terribleVery unskilful.
What a terrible mess.
unsettlingCausing anxiety or uneasiness; disturbing.
The finale may come as an unsettling shock.
unspeakableToo sacred to be uttered.
Unspeakable happiness.
upsettingCausing an emotional disturbance.
An upsetting experience.
vileExtremely unpleasant.
All the feasts that thou hast shared erewhile to mine shall be but vile.

Usage Examples of "Shocking" as an adjective

  • She brought shocking news.
  • Shocking behaviour.
  • I've got a shocking cold.
  • The most shocking book of its time.

Associations of "Shocking" (30 Words)

amazeAffect with wonder.
He has been amazed by the quality of the employees at the bank.
amazingInspiring awe or admiration or wonder.
An amazing number of people registered.
astonishSurprise or impress (someone) greatly.
You never fail to astonish me.
astonishingSurprising greatly.
An astonishing achievement.
astoundingBewildering or striking dumb with wonder.
The summit offers astounding views.
awesomeExtremely well; excellently.
The awesome complexity of the universe.
disturbingCausing distress or worry or anxiety.
A disturbing amount of crime.
flabbergastedGreatly surprised or astonished.
Flabbergasted fans took to the streets to celebrate the team s big win.
hauntingThe action of haunting a place.
From two handsome and talented young men to two haunting horrors of disintegration.
impressiveMaking a strong or vivid impression.
Impressive achievements in science.
incredibleBeyond belief or understanding.
An almost incredible tale of triumph and tragedy.
marvelousBeing or having the character of a miracle.
A marvelous collection of rare books.
outrageousWildly exaggerated or improbable.
Her outrageous leotards and sexy routines.
prodigiousRemarkably or impressively great in extent, size, or degree.
The young Mozart s prodigious talents.
puzzledUnable to understand; perplexed.
The questioners were met with puzzled looks.
raunchyEnergetically earthy and sexually explicit.
His raunchy new novel.
redoubtableInspiring fear- G.H.Johnston.
He was a redoubtable debater.
revelationThe last book of the New Testament recounting a divine revelation of the future to St John.
Seeing them play at international level was a revelation.
saintlinessThe quality of resembling a saint.
Her selfless behaviour borders on saintliness.
sensationalCausing great public interest and excitement.
A sensational view.
shatteringThe act of breaking something into small pieces.
The shattering peal of artillery.
shockCollect or gather into shocks.
They were deeply shocked by the murder.
spectacularCharacteristic of spectacles or drama.
French history was represented in a spectacular for tourists.
staggeringDeeply shocking; astonishing.
Suffered a staggering defeat.
startlingSo remarkably different or sudden as to cause momentary shock or alarm.
Startling news.
surprisedTaken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment.
There was a surprised silence.
surprisingCausing surprise; unexpected.
Leaped up with surprising agility.
unexpectedlyIn a way that was not expected or regarded as likely.
Tourist chiefs reported unexpectedly high visitor numbers.
wonderfulExtraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers.
The climate was wonderful all the year round.
wonderingCharacterized by or expressive of admiration and amazement.
Peter listened with an air of wondering astonishment.

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