ENGLISH
REFERENCE

flabbergasted

adj.
C1 Advanced US //ˈfɫæbɝˌɡæstɪd// UK //flˈæbəɡˌɑːstɪd// flab·ber·gast·ed Archaic Humorous
Definition

adj. feeling very surprised or shocked. You use this when something happens that is so unexpected it leaves you speechless.

adj. extremely surprised or shocked; overwhelmed by a sudden realization. Often used predicatively after linking verbs like 'be' or 'look'.


SIMPLE

I was flabbergasted when I saw the final bill.

CONTEXTUAL

The audience was flabbergasted by the magician's ability to escape the locked trunk in record time.

COMPLEX

The scientific community was flabbergasted by the data, which suggested that the fundamental laws of physics might behave differently at the quantum level than previously observed.

Origin

Past tense of flabbergast.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Last updated June 22, 2026