Standard Lemma guide

shocking

adj · noun · verb · 7 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˈʃɒkɪŋ/
  • General-American: /ˈʃɑkɪŋ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɒkɪŋ
  • CMU ARPABET: SH AA1 K IH0 NG Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Inspiring shock; startling.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Unusually obscene or lewd.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Extremely bad.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: colloquial

Examples

  • What a shocking calamity!

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

The application of an electric shock.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

present participle and gerund of shock

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, gerund, participle, present

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

giving offense to moral sensibilities and injurious to reputation- Thackeray

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • scandalous behavior
  • the wicked rascally shameful conduct of the bankrupt
  • the most shocking book of its time

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: disgraceful, scandalous, shameful

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective satellite

Meaning 7

glaringly vivid and graphic; marked by sensationalism

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • lurid details of the accident

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: lurid

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From shock + -ing.

Across languages

Translations

76 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: صَادِم (ṣādim) — inspiring shock; startling
  • Armenian: ցնցող (cʻncʻoġ) — inspiring shock; startling
  • Belarusian: шакава́льны (šakaválʹny) — inspiring shock; startling
  • Belarusian: шакі́руючы (šakírujučy) — inspiring shock; startling
  • Bulgarian: шокиращ (šokirašt) — inspiring shock; startling
  • Bulgarian: ужасяващ (užasjavašt) — inspiring shock; startling
  • Catalan: xocant — inspiring shock; startling
  • Catalan: espantós — inspiring shock; startling
  • Catalan: desastrós — inspiring shock; startling
  • Chinese Mandarin: 觸目驚心 /触目惊心 (chùmù jīngxīn) — inspiring shock; startling
  • Chinese Mandarin: 驚人的 /惊人的 (jīngrén de) — inspiring shock; startling
  • Chinese Mandarin: 駭人的 /骇人的 (hàirén de) — inspiring shock; startling
  • Chinese Mandarin: 令人震驚的 /令人震惊的 (lìngrén zhènjīng de) — inspiring shock; startling
  • Czech: otřesný — inspiring shock; startling
  • Czech: strašný — inspiring shock; startling
  • Danish: rystende — inspiring shock; startling
  • Danish: chokerende — inspiring shock; startling
  • Dutch: schokkend — inspiring shock; startling
  • Dutch: choquerend — inspiring shock; startling
  • Esperanto: ŝoka — inspiring shock; startling
  • Finnish: järkyttävä — inspiring shock; startling
  • Finnish: kauhistuttava — inspiring shock; startling
  • French: choquant — inspiring shock; startling
  • French: offensant — inspiring shock; startling
  • German: schrecklich — inspiring shock; startling
  • German: schockierend — inspiring shock; startling
  • Hebrew: מדהים — inspiring shock; startling
  • Hebrew: מזעזע — inspiring shock; startling
  • Hebrew: מהמם — inspiring shock; startling
  • Hungarian: sokkoló — inspiring shock; startling
  • Italian: sconvolgente — inspiring shock; startling
  • Kazakh: жантүршігерлік (jantürşıgerlık) — inspiring shock; startling
  • Kazakh: жантүршіктірерлік (jantürşıktırerlık) — inspiring shock; startling
  • Khmer: ដ៏រន្ធត់ (dɑɑ-rɔɔrŭənthŭət) — inspiring shock; startling
  • Marathi: धक्कादायक (dhakkādāyak) — inspiring shock; startling
  • Norwegian Bokmål: sjokkerende — inspiring shock; startling
  • Plautdietsch: schudahauft — inspiring shock; startling
  • Polish: wstrząsający — inspiring shock; startling
  • Polish: szokujący — inspiring shock; startling
  • Portuguese: chocante — inspiring shock; startling
  • Romanian: șocant — inspiring shock; startling
  • Russian: потряса́ющий (potrjasájuščij) — inspiring shock; startling
  • Russian: ужаса́ющий (užasájuščij) — inspiring shock; startling
  • Russian: шоки́рующий (šokírujuščij) — inspiring shock; startling
  • Spanish: espantoso — inspiring shock; startling
  • Spanish: chocante — inspiring shock; startling
  • Spanish: impactante — inspiring shock; startling
  • Spanish: shockeante — inspiring shock; startling
  • Swedish: chockerande — inspiring shock; startling
  • Swedish: upprörande — inspiring shock; startling
  • Ukrainian: шоку́ючий (šokújučyj) — inspiring shock; startling
  • Vietnamese: gây sốc — inspiring shock; startling
  • Catalan: escandalós — unusually obscene or lewd
  • Chinese Mandarin: 淫穢的 /淫秽的 (yínhuì de) — unusually obscene or lewd
  • Chinese Mandarin: 猥褻的 /猥亵的 (wěixiè de) — unusually obscene or lewd
  • Finnish: tyrmistyttävä — unusually obscene or lewd
  • French: choquant — unusually obscene or lewd
  • French: offensant — unusually obscene or lewd
  • Polish: wstrząsający — unusually obscene or lewd
  • Polish: szokujący — unusually obscene or lewd
  • Russian: непристо́йный (nepristójnyj) — unusually obscene or lewd
  • Spanish: aberrante — unusually obscene or lewd
  • Bulgarian: много лош (mnogo loš) — extremely bad
  • Chinese Mandarin: 糟糕的 (zāogāo de) — extremely bad
  • Chinese Mandarin: 可怕的 (kěpà de) — extremely bad
  • Finnish: kaamea — extremely bad
  • Finnish: karmea — extremely bad
  • Finnish: hirveä — extremely bad
  • French: choquant — extremely bad
  • German: schrecklich — extremely bad
  • Hebrew: מְזַעֲזֵעַ — extremely bad
  • Polish: wstrząsający — extremely bad
  • Polish: szokujący — extremely bad
  • Russian: отврати́тельный (otvratítelʹnyj) — extremely bad
  • Russian: га́дкий (gádkij) — extremely bad
  • Spanish: horrible — extremely bad