# stricken

/ˈstɹɪkən/ (US) · /stɹˈɪkən/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/stricken
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. affected by disaster or disease

adjective · CEFR C1 · Formal

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

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

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

adjective · CEFR C1 · Literary

showing a very strong, painful emotion on your face.

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

- He looked at her with a panic-stricken expression when he realized he lost his passport.
- She stood in the doorway with a horror-stricken face, unable to comprehend the scene of destruction before her.

Teaching tip: This sense is common in literature to describe a character's immediate physical reaction to bad news.

### 3. disabled or damaged

adjective · CEFR C1 · Technical

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

For teachers: rendered immobile or seriously incapacitated by mechanical failure or physical damage.

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

## Examples

- The stricken ship called for help.
- The charity provides emergency food and medical supplies to the drought-stricken region.
- He stood there with a stricken expression, unable to process the news that his life's work had been destroyed in a single afternoon.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.