Shell-shocked
adj
adj ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Adjective
- 1 Stunned or mentally unbalanced by prolonged stress such as experienced in combat or under fire (shell-fire); suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. dated
"Glenn Kilbourne had returned from France early that fall, shell-shocked and gassed, and otherwise incapacitated for service in the army—a wreck of his former sterling self."
- 2 Confused as a result of a traumatic experience. figuratively
"With inflationary pressures easing and economic concerns mounting, shell-shocked investors are seeking the protection of government securities."
Example
More examples"Mary was completely shell-shocked after Tom dressed her down for being late for the meeting."
More for "shell-shocked"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.