Dictionary.com | Meanings & Definitions of English Words (original) (raw)

stunning

adjective

  1. causing, capable of causing, or liable to cause astonishment, bewilderment, or a loss of consciousness or strength:
    a stunning blow.
    Synonyms: astounding, numbing
  2. of striking beauty or excellence:
    What a stunning dress you're wearing!

/ ˈstʌnɪŋ /

adjective

  1. informal.
    very attractive, impressive, astonishing, etc

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Derived Forms

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Word History and Origins

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Example Sentences

Just as Hojgaard was piling on the pressure, McIlroy produced a stunning approach shot on the 16th to tee up a birdie putt.

City had arrived in London unbeaten, with memories of their stunning victory over European champions Barcelona earlier this season still fresh in their minds.

"Jon was an interesting and thoughtful person, he had some stunning dramatic performances on stage and on screen and the country is still in stitches from the magic that was D'Unbelievables."

"We now understand how these stunning colours can evolve in wild animals through a simple dial-like 'molecular switch' that 'borrows' a detoxifying protein to serve a new function," Carneiro concludes.

These two arcs come together in a stunning climax, revealing that the film is both historical and autobiographical, drawing on a horrible, little-known tragedy from Selvaraj’s own childhood.

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More About Stunning

What does stunning mean?

Stunning essentially means something or someone causes such a huge impact that you are stunned from pain or a wave of emotion.

Stunning can describe something or someone that literally causes physical pain, as in The kickboxer suffered a stunning blow to her face.

Stunning is also used figuratively to describe something or someone that overwhelms you emotionally or has the potential to overwhelm you emotionally, as in The acrobats performed a stunning routine of flips and cartwheels.

Finally, stunning can also describe something or someone that is especially beautiful or marvelous, as in The actress wore a stunning dress to the red carpet. You might also use dazzling or gorgeous.

Example: In a stunning act of arrogance, the dictator built a solid gold statue of himself and placed it in the city square.

Where does stunning come from?

The first records of stunning come from around 1660. It combines the word stun, meaning “to daze, astonish, or overwhelm” and the suffix -ing. If something is stunning, then it is going to stun a person in one way or another.

Stunning refers to things, actions, or people that are so overwhelming that you have to pause for a moment. Stunning is used both positively and negatively.

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How is stunning used in real life?

Stunning is a common word that people use to attempt to describe things, events, or people that have overwhelmed them.

thor ragnarok is trending? time to appreciate the stunning cinematography of that movie pic.twitter.com/lO3LAi9ppI

— han | loki era (@infinityhowlett) June 1, 2021

In stunning increase, Peru now says its COVID-19 death toll exceeds 180,000 https://t.co/plNZwdj3IV

— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) June 1, 2021

Wow. In today’s decision in US v. Cooley, SCOTUS ruled that Tribal police on Reservations, with probable cause, have the right to stop & detain non-Natives! This is a stunning affirmation of Tribal sovereignty & will help stop the epidemic of #MMIWG! https://t.co/ejz73Hg9Ex

— Ruth H. Hopkins (Red Road Woman) (@Ruth_HHopkins) June 1, 2021

Try using stunning!

Which of the following words is a synonym of stunning?

A. boring
B. amazing
C. terrible
D. good