flabbergasted

English

WOTD – 30 October 2006

Alternative forms

Etymology

Past tense of flabbergast.

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈflæbə(ˌ)ɡɑːstəd/, /ˈflæbə(ˌ)ɡæstəd/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈflæbɚˌɡæstəd/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Audio (General Australian):(file)

Adjective

flabbergasted (comparative more flabbergasted, superlative most flabbergasted)

  1. Appalled, annoyed, exhausted or disgusted.
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:astonished
    He was flabbergasted at how much weight he had gained.
    • 1858, Anthony Trollope, Doctor Thorne. [], volume II, London: Chapman & Hall, [], →OCLC, pages 25–26:
      ‘Hush-h-h-h-h!’ said Mr Nearthewinde, absolutely flabergasted by such imprudence on the part of one of his client's friends.
    • 1863 March 28 – December 26, Charles Reade, chapter XVI, in Hard Cash: A Matter-of-fact Romance. [], volume III, London: Sampson Low, Son, & Marston [], published 1863, →OCLC, page 332:
      This candid interpretation of his words knocked the defendant stupid. He made no reply, but looked utterly flabbergasted.
    • 1917, John Galsworthy, Beyond, Toronto: The Copp Clark Co., Limited, page 368:
      Much the same. Rather flabbergasted at seeing me, I think.
    • 1922 February, James Joyce, “[12]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company, [], →OCLC:
      Begob he was what you might call flabbergasted.
    • 1952, Agnes Morley Cleaveland., Satan's Paradise: from Lucien Maxwell to Fred Lambert, Houghton-Mifflin:
      Maxwell made a lunge at his flabbergasted guest, who ducked just in time to escape the great hands reaching for him.
    • 2008, Dutch Sheets, Watchman Prayer: Keeping the Enemy Out While Protecting Your Family, Home, Gospel Light, page 57:
      From behind her paper, she was flabbergasted to see a neatly dressed man helping himself to her cookies.
    • 2014 August 16, BBC News, Why have tailgate parties not spread to the UK?[1]:
      On his first encounter with tailgating in 2006, he was flabbergasted at the way rival fans mixed peaceably together at the parties. A Chicago Bears fan, he was warmly welcomed into a group of Arizona Cardinals fans and fed. "I was shocked and slightly worried. I thought they were going to poison me. It was just so odd."
    • 2020 March 7, Merran Hitchick, quoting Jenny Mikakos, “'Flabbergasted': Melbourne doctor with coronavirus symptoms continued seeing patients”, in The Guardian[2], →ISSN:
      “I have to say I am flabbergasted that a doctor that has flu-like symptoms has presented to work,” [Jenny] Mikakos said.
  2. (euphemistic, rare) Damned.

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

flabbergasted

  1. simple past and past participle of flabbergast

References

  • Green, Jonathan (2005), Cassell's Dictionary of Slang[3], Sterling Publishing Company, page 511

Anagrams