shocking
UK: ˈʃɒkɪŋ | US: ˈʃɑːkɪŋ
adj. causing intense surprise, disgust, or outrage
adj. extremely startling or disturbing
v. (present participle of shock) to cause a strong emotional reaction
The word shocking derives from the verb shock, which originated in the late 16th century from the French choquer ("to strike violently") and possibly Middle Dutch schokken ("to jolt"). The core idea of shock involves sudden, forceful impact—whether physical or emotional. Adding -ing transforms it into an adjective describing something that provokes a sharp, often negative reaction. Over time, shocking expanded from literal jolts (e.g., electric shocks) to metaphorical ones (e.g., shocking news).
The movie’s violent scenes were truly shocking.
She gave a shocking performance that left the audience speechless.
The sudden price increase was shocking to customers.
His lack of empathy was shocking to everyone present.
The experiment produced shocking results that challenged previous theories.