stunned

1. 1
   verb

   Simple past and past participle of stun.

   The blow stunned the boxer for several seconds.

   The audience was stunned into silence by the announcement.

   Note

   Regular in everything but spelling: the n doubles before -ed, so stun gives stunned for both the past and the participle. The form carries every meaning of the verb, not only the knockout and the shock. A billiards player who stunned the cue ball hit it so it slid without topspin or backspin. In Singapore slang, an unguarded rifle can be stunned, meaning confiscated from a careless soldier as punishment.

2. 2
   adjective

   Unable to act or respond because of shock; dazed or overwhelmed by something sudden.

   Like a boxer still on his feet but too dazed to lift his guard after a heavy blow.

   The stunned audience sat in silence as the verdict was read aloud.

   She felt too stunned to respond to the unexpected accusation.

   Similarshocked, dazed, dumbfounded, stupefied, speechless

   Oppositeunfazed, unmoved, composed, unruffled

   Note

   Formed from stun plus -ed, it has crossed fully into adjective territory. It takes degree words like completely and visibly, and it compares as more stunned, most stunned. It also sits before nouns that are not people, as in stunned silence, where the shock fills the room. The cause usually follows with by, as in stunned by the news. The verb form, by contrast, reports an act of stunning.

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