Meaning & use
dumbfounded
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“dumbfounded” is a form of “dumbfound”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
adjectivecomparable
So surprised that you cannot speak or know how to react.
Grammar: Used after be or look, often with by or at: dumbfounded by the news.
Patterns
- be dumbfounded by something
- be dumbfounded at something
She stood dumbfounded when she saw the surprise party.
I was dumbfounded by the size of the bill.
The class was dumbfounded at the teacher's sudden announcement.
verbtransitiveformal
Past tense and past participle of dumbfound: shocked someone so much that they were silent.
Grammar: Takes an object: the news dumbfounded him.
Patterns
- dumbfound someone
The magician's last trick dumbfounded the audience.
Her sudden resignation dumbfounded her colleagues.
The scale of the damage dumbfounded the visitors.
Word forms
| base form | dumbfound |
|---|---|
| third person singular | dumbfounds |
| -ing form | dumbfounding |
Common combinations
- look dumbfounded
- He looked dumbfounded when he heard the result.
- utterly dumbfounded
- We were utterly dumbfounded by the offer.
- stand dumbfounded
- She stood dumbfounded at the door.
- dumbfounded by
- The jury was dumbfounded by the evidence.
- leave someone dumbfounded
- The news left everyone dumbfounded.
Synonyms and how they differ
- astonished
- Astonished means greatly surprised but does not require loss of speech.
- speechless
- Speechless focuses only on silence, which can come from anger or joy as well as shock.
- flabbergasted
- Flabbergasted is more informal and playful, with the same strong surprise.
- stunned
- Stunned suggests a shock so strong you cannot think or move, not only speak.
Opposites
Word family
- dumbfound verb
- to shock someone into silence
- dumbfounding adjective
- extremely surprising
- dumb adjective
- unable to speak (also used for stupid in informal use)
Commonly confused: dumbfounded or dumbstruck?
dumbfounded vs dumbstruck
Dumbstruck means almost the same thing as dumbfounded, and is a common alternative in speech.
Practice
When the teacher read the winning name, Jo was so ___ that she could only stare.
Choose one answer.
Dumbfounded means too shocked to speak, which fits staring silently. Delighted describes joy but not loss of speech.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dumbfounded”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.