ENGLISH
REFERENCE

stricken

adj.
US //ˈstɹɪkən// UK //stɹˈɪkən// strick·en
  1. 1 affected by disaster or disease (adj.)
    C1 Advanced Formal

    suffering severely from a disaster, disease, or other bad situation.

    severely affected or overwhelmed by a specific external calamity, illness, or misfortune.

    Example

    The charity is sending food and water to the drought-stricken region.

    Example

    International aid agencies struggled to reach the earthquake-stricken villages in the remote mountainous provinces before the winter snows arrived.

    Usage

    Often used in compound adjectives like 'poverty-stricken' or 'grief-stricken'.
  2. 2 overwhelmed by emotion (adj.)
    C1 Advanced Literary

    showing a very strong, painful emotion on your face.

    manifesting intense emotional distress or shock, particularly in facial expression.

    Example

    He looked at her with a panic-stricken expression when he realized he lost his passport.

    Example

    She stood in the doorway with a horror-stricken face, unable to comprehend the scene of destruction before her.

    Teacher's tip

    This sense is common in literature to describe a character's immediate physical reaction to bad news.
  3. 3 disabled or damaged (adj.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Science

    seriously damaged or unable to move, especially a ship or a vehicle.

    rendered immobile or seriously incapacitated by mechanical failure or physical damage.

    Example

    The coast guard went out to help the stricken ship during the storm.

    Example

    Tugboats were dispatched to tow the stricken tanker back to the harbour after its engines failed in heavy seas.

    Usage

    Frequently used in nautical and military contexts to describe vessels or aircraft.
Origin

From Middle English striken, ystriken, from Old English stricen, ġestricen, from Proto-West Germanic strikan, from Proto-Germanic strikanaz, past participle of Proto-Germanic *strīkaną (“to strike”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian strieken, Dutch gestreken, German Low German streken, German gestrichen.

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

Related words

Last updated June 20, 2026