# shocking

Pronunciation: say "SHOK-ing" US /ˈʃɑkɪŋ/, UK /ˈʃɒkɪŋ/

## Adjective

1. Causing a strong reaction of surprise, horror, or distress; startling in an upsetting way.
   - Simple: Very surprising in a way that upsets or scares people.
   - _Witnesses described the crash as shocking, saying it happened without any warning._
   - _The report contained shocking revelations about the company's finances._
2. Obscene or lewd to an unusual degree, offending ordinary standards of decency.
   - Simple: Very rude about sex, in a way that upsets most people.
   - _The magazine was banned for its shocking photographs of nude models._
   - _Censors cut the play's shocking bedroom scene before opening night._
3. Extremely bad in quality, condition, or behavior. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Very bad, much worse than you would expect.
   - _Traffic on the interstate was shocking this morning, and I missed my meeting._
   - _Their customer service has been shocking ever since the merger._

## Verb

4. Present participle and gerund of shock. — present participle and gerund of shock
   - Simple: Present participle and gerund of shock. Use it after 'is' or 'was', or as a noun for the action.
   - _The documentary succeeded in shocking audiences out of their complacency._
   - _Rising prices are shocking shoppers into changing their habits._

## Noun

5. The act of applying an electric shock to a person, animal, or object.
   - Simple: The act of giving an electric shock to a person, animal, or thing.
   - _Repeated shocking of the heart finally restored a normal rhythm._
   - _The lab limited the shocking of each sample to brief, low-voltage pulses._

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/shocking (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).