ENGLISH
REFERENCE

shockingly

adv. sent.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈʃɑkɪŋɫi// UK //ʃˈɒkɪŋli// shock·ing·ly

adv. in a way that is very surprising or upsetting. You use it to show that something is much worse or more extreme than you expected.

adv. in a manner that causes intense surprise, horror, or disgust. Often functions as a sentence-modifying disjunct to express the speaker's stance on the following information.


SIMPLE

The price of the meal was shockingly high.

CONTEXTUAL

The report revealed that the old bridge was shockingly close to collapsing during the last storm.

COMPLEX

Shockingly, the board members voted to approve the merger despite clear evidence that it would lead to immediate bankruptcy for the smaller firm.

Usage

As a degree adverb, it precedes the adjective it modifies; as a sentence adverb, it typically appears at the start of the clause.

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