stricken dumb
Shocked into silence
Stricken dumb means rendered speechless, usually by shock, fear, or overwhelming emotion.
The phrase is somewhat literary or old-fashioned: She was stricken dumb by the news of his death.
Dumb here means unable to speak, not stupid—its older sense.
The construction parallels struck speechless.
- tongue-tiedUnable to express oneself
- at a loss for wordsUnable to articulate
- stunnedShocked into speechlessness
- shockViolent sudden disturbance
- taken abackShocked into momentary confusion
muteness · thunderstruck · jaw dropped · awe · voicelessness · revelation · astonishment · speechlessness · aphasia · silenced · floored · laryngitis · wonder · amazement · beyond words · disbelief · choking · flabbergasted
stricken dumbeloquent
Fluent and persuasive
articulate · voluble · talkative · vocal · speaking freely
stricken dumbunfazed
Not disturbed or disconcerted
unflappable · composed · quick-witted · cool as a cucumber · self-possessed
stricken dumbunfazed
Not disturbed or disconcerted
unruffled · composed · self-possessed · unshaken · keeping one's cool
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