shell shocked
Stunned by combat
Shell shocked describes the psychological damage from prolonged exposure to combat—the term originated in World War I when soldiers endured relentless artillery bombardment.
The condition, now called PTSD, leaves people traumatized, dazed, or mentally exhausted.
The meaning extends to anyone overwhelmed by intense experience: I was shell shocked after the interview.
Emotionally damaged by experience
- disorientedLacking sense of direction
- numbLacking physical sensation
- detachedApart or uninvolved
- disconnectedSeparated from a source
dazed · haunted · dissociated · hypervigilant · jumpy · flashbacks · nightmares · anxiety
Elongated ground excavations
- artilleryLarge-caliber battlefield weapons
- barrageSustained, overwhelming attack
- battlefieldCombat engagement area
- combatArmed hostile engagement
explosions · frontline · no-man's-land · soldiers · WWI · casualties · mortar · bunker
Shocked into mental fog
- bewilderedThoroughly puzzled and confused
- reelingUnsteady from shock
- staggeredShocked or unevenly spaced
- flooredOverwhelmed by surprise
gobsmacked · thunderstruck · taken aback · blindsided · rocked · jolted · stupefied · speechless
Overwhelmed by quantity
- swampedOverwhelmed beyond capacity
- bombardedAttacked with heavy fire
- overloadedBurdened past capacity
- besiegedSurrounded by attackers
overcome · overburdened · drowning · exhausted · frazzled · depleted · burned out · at breaking point
traumatized
Emotionally damaged by experience
- disorientedLacking sense of direction
- numbLacking physical sensation
- detachedApart or uninvolved
disconnected · dazed · haunted · dissociated · hypervigilant · jumpy · flashbacks · nightmares · anxiety · intrusive thoughts
trenches
Elongated ground excavations
- artilleryLarge-caliber battlefield weapons
- barrageSustained, overwhelming attack
- battlefieldCombat engagement area
combat · explosions · frontline · no-man's-land · soldiers · WWI · casualties · mortar · bunker · veterans
dazed
Shocked into mental fog
- bewilderedThoroughly puzzled and confused
- reelingUnsteady from shock
- staggeredShocked or unevenly spaced
floored · gobsmacked · thunderstruck · taken aback · blindsided · rocked · jolted · stupefied · speechless · frozen
inundated
Overwhelmed by quantity
- swampedOverwhelmed beyond capacity
- bombardedAttacked with heavy fire
- overloadedBurdened past capacity
besieged · overcome · overburdened · drowning · exhausted · frazzled · depleted · burned out · at breaking point · sensory overload
- sea jokesholy mackerel, fish out of water, fish story, fish tales, off the hook
- war traumaPTSD, combat fatigue, battle fatigue, combat stress, flashbacks
- military statusactive duty, enlisted, retired, deployed, veteran
shell shockedcalm
Free from agitation
composed · serene · untroubled · unperturbed · collected
shell shockedbattle-ready
Prepared for armed conflict
combat-ready · clearheaded · unfazed · unshaken · prepared
shell shockedunscathed
Suffering no injury
unaffected · unscarred · untraumatized · resilient · impervious
shell, shocked, shells, shelled, shelling, shellfish, eggshell, seashell, shock