Synonyms for taken aback
| Grammar : Adj |
| Spell : uh-bak |
| Phonetic Transcription : əˈbæk |
Top 10 synonyms for taken aback Other synonyms for the word taken aback
- abashed
- addled
- addlepated
- agape
- aghast
- agog
- annoyed
- appalled
- ashamed
- astounded
- at a loss
- at sea
- at sixes and sevens
- awe-struck
- bamboozled
- beat
- bewildered
- blown away
- bowled over
- breathless
- buffaloed
- bugged
- caught off balance
- chagrined
- come apart
- confounded
- confused
- confusional
- crushed
- dazzled
- discombobulated
- disconcerted
- disorganized
- distracted
- disturbed
- dizzy
- dumb
- dumbfounded
- dumbstruck
- embarrassed
- fazed
- flabbergasted
- flipped out
- flummoxed
- flustered
- fouled up
- frozen
- fuddled
- giddy
- glassy-eyed
- gone
- humbled
- humiliated
- in a dither
- in a tizzy
- in botheration
- knocked
- licked
- lost
- messed-up
- misled
- mixed up
- mixed-up
- mortified
- muddled
- nonplused
- nonplussed
- not with it
- numb
- out of countenance
- out to lunch
- overcome
- perplexed
- perturbed
- psyched-out
- punch-drunk
- punchy
- puzzled
- rattled
- reeling
- ruffled
- screwy
- shamed
- shocked
- shook up
- shook-up
- shot to pieces
- slaphappy
- spaced out
- spaced-out
- speechless
- staggered
- startled
- stuck
- stumped
- stunned
- stupefied
- surprised
- taken aback
- thrown
- thrown off balance
- thunderstruck
- troubled
- turbid
- uncertain
- unglued
- unscrewed
- unsettled
- unzipped
- upset
Définition of taken aback
Origin :- c.1200, from Old English on bæc "at or on the back;" see back (n.). Now surviving mainly in taken aback, originally a nautical expression in reference to a vessel's square sails when a sudden change of wind flattens them back against the masts and stops the forward motion of the ship (1754). The figurative sense is first recorded 1840.
- As in abashed : adj exhibiting mental discomfort, ill at ease
- As in stunned : adj dazed
- As in stupefied : adj dazed
- As in bewildered : adj confused
- As in surprised : adj taken by surprise
- As in muddle-headed : adj confused
- As in confused : adj disoriented mentally
- As in disconcerted : adj confused; shaken
- As in dumbfounded : adj astounded, confused
- Again she was taken aback to see so many sitting round the table.
- Extract from : « In the Midst of Alarms » by Robert Barr
- Granger, taken aback by the question, smiled slowly and shook his head.
- Extract from : « Murder Point » by Coningsby Dawson
- Captain Sam was so taken aback that he was almost speechless.
- Extract from : « Shavings » by Joseph C. Lincoln
- Asaph was taken aback, but he recovered promptly, as he had before.
- Extract from : « Kent Knowles: Quahaug » by Joseph C. Lincoln
- I had been taken aback so suddenly that I had lost steerage way.
- Extract from : « The Rise of Roscoe Paine » by Joseph C. Lincoln
- The Captain was taken aback by these three words, which Mr. Blood had stressed.
- Extract from : « Captain Blood » by Rafael Sabatini
- When he joined Reg in the room they shared, he was taken aback at what he saw.
- Extract from : « Australia Revenged » by Boomerang
- He was taken aback, and do what he could the Colonel's grave eyes discomposed him.
- Extract from : « The Wild Geese » by Stanley John Weyman
- The worthy man was taken aback with the energy with which I spoke.
- Extract from : « The Memoires of Casanova, Complete » by Jacques Casanova de Seingalt
- Perhaps she was still too taken aback to do anything about the matter.
- Extract from : « The Crimson Tide » by Robert W. Chambers
Antonyms for taken aback
Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019