Meaning & use
flabbergasted
Last updated
Meaning
adjectiveafter a verbinformal
So shocked or surprised that you can hardly speak or think.
Grammar: Usually follows be or feel, often with by or at: she was flabbergasted by the price.
Patterns
- be flabbergasted by something
- be flabbergasted at something
- be flabbergasted to hear something
I was flabbergasted when she handed back my lost wallet with the cash still inside.
He stood flabbergasted at the size of the bill.
The teacher was flabbergasted that every student had passed.
Word forms
| comparative | more flabbergasted |
|---|---|
| superlative | most flabbergasted |
Common combinations
- absolutely flabbergasted
- We were absolutely flabbergasted by the news.
- flabbergasted by
- She was flabbergasted by his rudeness.
- flabbergasted at
- The audience was flabbergasted at the magician's final trick.
- left flabbergasted
- The result left everyone flabbergasted.
- flabbergasted look
- He gave her a flabbergasted look.
Synonyms and how they differ
- astonished
- It is a neutral, standard word, while flabbergasted sounds more playful and exaggerated.
- stunned
- It stresses being frozen or shocked into silence.
- dumbfounded
- It is very close and emphasizes being unable to speak.
- surprised
- It is much milder, covering anything unexpected.
Opposites
Word family
- flabbergast verb
- to surprise someone greatly
- flabbergasting adjective
- extremely surprising
- flabbergastingly adverb
- in a way that is amazing
Commonly confused: flabbergasted or flabby?
flabbergasted vs flabby
Flabby describes soft, loose flesh and has nothing to do with surprise.
Practice
When the quiet student won the national prize, the whole class was ___.
Choose one answer.
Flabbergasted describes extreme surprise at an unexpected result. Relieved, bored and indifferent describe other feelings that do not suit the surprise of the sentence.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “flabbergasted”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.