strike dumb
Shock into silence
To strike dumb is to render someone speechless, usually through shock, awe, or overwhelming emotion.
The phrase appears most often in passive form: I was struck dumb by the news.
It suggests a temporary inability to speak rather than permanent muteness.
The expression sounds somewhat literary or old-fashioned in contemporary speech.
Overwhelmed into mental blankness
- flabbergastedOverwhelmed with amazement
- gobsmackedExtremely astonished
- thunderstruckExtremely shocked or amazed
- speechlessUnable to talk
astounded · stunned · amazed · bewildered · confounded · nonplussed · staggered · floored
Made quieter or softer
- silencedRendered unable to speak
- tongue-tiedUnable to express oneself
- voicelessHaving no voice
- wordlessLacking spoken content
lost for words · at a loss · inarticulate · choked · gagged · hushed · stifled · censored
Overcome by profound wonder
- reverentFeeling profound respect
- wonderstruckAmazed beyond words
- spellboundHeld as if enchanted
- transfixedHeld immobile by amazement
overwhelmed · humbled · breathless · rapt · enthralled · marveling · bedazzled · overcome
stupefied
Overwhelmed into mental blankness
- flabbergastedOverwhelmed with amazement
- gobsmackedExtremely astonished
- thunderstruckExtremely shocked or amazed
speechless · astounded · stunned · amazed · bewildered · confounded · nonplussed · staggered · floored · bowled over
muted
Made quieter or softer
- silencedRendered unable to speak
- tongue-tiedUnable to express oneself
- voicelessHaving no voice
wordless · lost for words · at a loss · inarticulate · choked · gagged · hushed · stifled · censored · intimidated
awestruck
Overcome by profound wonder
- reverentFeeling profound respect
- wonderstruckAmazed beyond words
- spellboundHeld as if enchanted
transfixed · overwhelmed · humbled · breathless · rapt · enthralled · marveling · bedazzled · overcome · moved
stunned
Shocked into speechlessness
- paralyzedUnable to move voluntarily
- petrifiedSolidified or fear-paralyzed
- frozenSolidified by extreme cold
shell-shocked · traumatized · horrified · aghast · appalled · reeling · shattered · jarred · rocked · shaken
strike dumbloosen someone's tongue
Induce candid speech
find one's voice · give voice to · draw out · break the silence · open up
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