ENGLISH
REFERENCE

staggered

adj.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈstæɡɝd// UK //stˈæɡəd// stag·gered

adj. feeling very shocked or surprised by something. It can also describe things that are arranged to happen at different times or in different positions.

adj. deeply shocked or astonished by unexpected information or events. When describing a sequence or arrangement, it refers to items or events positioned at intervals rather than occurring simultaneously.


SIMPLE

I was staggered by the high price of the meal.

CONTEXTUAL

The company introduced staggered shifts to ensure that fewer employees were in the office at the same time.

COMPLEX

The researchers were staggered by the sheer volume of data collected during the initial phase, which far exceeded their most optimistic projections for the entire year.

Synonyms
Usage

Often used predicatively after linking verbs like 'be', 'feel', or 'seem'. When used to describe timing, it typically precedes the noun it modifies.

Pitfall

I was staggering by the newsI was staggered by the newsLearners often confuse the -ing form (describing the cause) with the -ed form (describing the feeling of the person).

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