stupefaction
noun
stu·pe·fac·tion ˌstü-pə-ˈfak-shən 
ˌstyü-
: the act of stupefying : the state of being stupefied
Synonyms
- amazement
- astonishment
- shock
- startlement
- surprise
- surprize
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
upon hearing the unexpected news, she just sat there in total stupefaction
Recent Examples on the Web Glimpses of both are embedded inside her bracing work, along with a healthy dose of stupefaction and bewilderment. 
Christopher Knightart Critic, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2022 So here’s a handy guide to stick it to your co-conversants and have their heads nodding at your bon mots in sublime stupefaction. Andy Kessler, WSJ, 13 June 2021 The ‘Brexit’ series has only heightened this sense of entertainment and stupefaction. Mike O'sullivan, Forbes, 29 May 2021 Marsalis’s expression combines shock, dismay, amusement, stupefaction, and something like resignation. BostonGlobe.com, 1 Apr. 2021 The tourists, speaking in bad French, shake their heads in stupefaction. New York Times, 7 Feb. 2021 The state doesn't have to identify the specific substance that caused stupefaction, according to Gerol. Bruce Vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 14 Nov. 2019 Over the years, many Spaniards considered flamenco a scourge of their nation, deploring it as an entertainment that lulled the masses into stupefaction and hampered Spain’s progress toward modernity. Sandie Holguín, Smithsonian, 24 Oct. 2019 Those kind of afternoon lunches have all but disappeared, sucked into some malevolent black hole created by corporate downsizing, email culture and the endless stupefaction of the internet. Tim Carman, chicagotribune.com, 4 Oct. 2019 See More
Christopher Knightart Critic, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2022 So here’s a handy guide to stick it to your co-conversants and have their heads nodding at your bon mots in sublime stupefaction. Andy Kessler, WSJ, 13 June 2021 The ‘Brexit’ series has only heightened this sense of entertainment and stupefaction. Mike O'sullivan, Forbes, 29 May 2021 Marsalis’s expression combines shock, dismay, amusement, stupefaction, and something like resignation. BostonGlobe.com, 1 Apr. 2021 The tourists, speaking in bad French, shake their heads in stupefaction. New York Times, 7 Feb. 2021 The state doesn't have to identify the specific substance that caused stupefaction, according to Gerol. Bruce Vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 14 Nov. 2019 Over the years, many Spaniards considered flamenco a scourge of their nation, deploring it as an entertainment that lulled the masses into stupefaction and hampered Spain’s progress toward modernity. Sandie Holguín, Smithsonian, 24 Oct. 2019 Those kind of afternoon lunches have all but disappeared, sucked into some malevolent black hole created by corporate downsizing, email culture and the endless stupefaction of the internet. Tim Carman, chicagotribune.com, 4 Oct. 2019 See More Word History
Etymology
Middle English stupefaccioun, from Medieval Latin stupefaction-, stupefactio, from Latin stupefacere
First Known Use
1603, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
stupefaction
noun
stu·pe·fac·tion ˌst(y)ü-pə-ˈfak-shən
: the act of stupefying or the state of being stupefied
stupefaction
noun
as in astonishment
the state of being strongly impressed by something unexpected or unusual upon hearing the unexpected news, she just sat there in total stupefaction Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- astonishment
- amazement
- shock
- surprise
- startlement
- dismay
- wonderment
- awe
- surprize
- bewilderment
- confusion
- wonder
- discomfiture
- consternation
- startle