takes aback
Stuns with unexpectedness
Takes aback means to surprise or disconcert someone, usually unpleasantly.
The phrase comes from sailing, where a ship is taken aback when wind suddenly fills its sails from the wrong side, stopping forward motion.
Now it describes being caught off guard: I was taken aback by her harsh response.
Almost always appears in passive form.
- astonishedGreatly shocked, overwhelmed
- startledAbruptly surprised or alarmed
- rattledDisturbed and unsettled
- awkwardnessLack of grace or ease
- flusteredNervously upset and confused
stopped cold · perturbed · bewildered · floored · dumbfounded · deer in headlights · stunned · shaken · blindsided · thrown for a loop · nonplussed · amazed · caught off guard · embarrassment · reflect · hesitation · thrown · lost for words