shocking
shocking — adjective
1. Causing people to feel very upset, offended, or morally outraged because somethi
Causing people to feel very upset, offended, or morally outraged because something is so wrong or unpleasant.
The documentary revealed the shocking working conditions at the factory.
attributive: shocking + noun (working conditions)
Maeve found her colleague's racist remarks absolutely shocking.
intensifier: absolutely shocking; find + object + shocking
It is shocking that nobody reported the abuse for months.
The newspaper printed shocking details about the prison conditions.
What I found most shocking was the cruelty shown toward the animals.
- appalling
Stronger emotional weight; suggests horror or dismay rather than mere offense
- outrageous
Adds a sense of anger and injustice; stronger than shocking
- scandalous
Implies damage to reputation, often involving money, sex, or lies
- disgraceful
Focuses on shameful behaviour that brings loss of respect
- praiseworthy
Describes behaviour that deserves admiration rather than offense
- acceptable
Describes something that meets normal standards of decency
用法筆記
Commonly used with intensifiers such as 'absolutely', 'truly', 'deeply', and 'quite'. Often appears in patterns: find/consider + something + shocking, or it + be + shocking + that-clause.
常見錯誤
2. Used informally to say that something is extremely bad in quality or very unplea
Used informally to say that something is extremely bad in quality or very unpleasant.
The service at that cafe was shocking — we waited over an hour for two cups of tea.
predictive use: be + shocking; informal register marker
Eshe gave a shocking performance in the play and forgot most of her lines.
We had shocking weather during our holiday in Scotland last July.
The quality of the furniture was absolutely shocking for the price we paid.
用法筆記
This sense is informal and primarily British. Avoid using it in formal writing, academic essays, or professional contexts. In American English, 'terrible' or 'awful' are more common for this meaning.
常見錯誤
3. So surprising that it leaves someone amazed or unable to react immediately, ofte
So surprising that it leaves someone amazed or unable to react immediately, often because events take a completely unexpected turn.
It came as a shocking surprise to learn that Sora had won the national poetry award.
it + came as a + shocking + surprise + infinitive
The team's defeat was shocking after they had led by three goals with ten minutes left.
Lucas received shocking news about his scholarship during the middle of class.
What the archaeologists found inside the tomb was a shocking discovery that changed history.
It is shocking how quickly the river rose after just one night of heavy rain.
- astonishing
Slightly stronger; emphasizes disbelief alongside surprise
- staggering
Suggests something is hard to believe because of its scale or magnitude
- startling
Emphasizes the sudden, unexpected nature of the event
- astounding
Very strong surprise; suggests something is almost beyond belief
- unsurprising
Describes something expected and thus not causing surprise
- predictable
Describes something that could be foreseen easily
用法筆記
Unlike sense 1, this sense carries no moral judgment. The surprise can be positive or neutral, though the word often retains a slight edge of astonishment. Distinguish from sense 1: if the thing also offends moral sensibilities, sense 1 is more appropriate.