1.
[syn: arresting, sensational, stunning]
2. causing great astonishment and consternation;
- Example: "the strike came as a stunning protest against management"
- Example: "a stunning defeat"
3. causing or capable of causing bewilderment or shock or insensibility;
- Example: "laid the poor fellow senseless with one stunning blow"
- Example: "a stunning detonation with volumes of black smoke"
4. strikingly beautiful or attractive;
- Example: "quite stunning with large dark eyes and a beautiful high-bosomed figure"
- Example: "stunning photographs of Canada's wilderness areas"
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Stun \Stun\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Stunned; p. pr. & vb. n.
Stunning.] [OE. stonien, stownien; either fr. AS. stunian
to resound (cf. D. stenen to groan, G. st["o]hnen, Icel.
stynja, Gr. ?, Skr. stan to thunder, and E. thunder), or from
the same source as E. astonish. [root]168.]
1. To make senseless or dizzy by violence; to render
senseless by a blow, as on the head.
[1913 Webster]
One hung a poleax at his saddlebow,
And one a heavy mace to stun the foe. --Dryden.
[1913 Webster]
2. To dull or deaden the sensibility of; to overcome;
especially, to overpower one's sense of hearing.
[1913 Webster]
And stunned him with the music of the spheres.
--Pope.
[1913 Webster]
3. To astonish; to overpower; to bewilder.
[1913 Webster]
William was quite stunned at my discourse. --De Foe.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Stunning \Stun"ning\, a.
1. Overpowering consciousness; overpowering the senses;
especially, overpowering the sense of hearing; confounding
with noise.
[1913 Webster]
2. Striking or overpowering with astonishment, especially on
account of excellence; as, stunning poetry. [Slang] --C.
Kingsley. -- Stun"ning*ly, adv. [Slang]
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
stunning
adj 1: commanding attention; "an arresting drawing of people
turning into animals"; "a sensational concert--one never
to be forgotten"; "a stunning performance" [syn:
arresting, sensational, stunning]
2: causing great astonishment and consternation; "the strike
came as a stunning protest against management"; "a stunning
defeat"
3: causing or capable of causing bewilderment or shock or
insensibility; "laid the poor fellow senseless with one
stunning blow"; "a stunning detonation with volumes of black
smoke"
4: strikingly beautiful or attractive; "quite stunning with
large dark eyes and a beautiful high-bosomed figure";
"stunning photographs of Canada's wilderness areas"
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
141 Moby Thesaurus words for "stunning":
OK, ace-high, amazing, analgesic, anesthetic, astonishing,
astounding, attractive, bad, bang-up, beaming, beauteous,
beautiful, benumbing, bloodcurdling, blooming, bonny, bonzer, boss,
breathtaking, bright, brilliant, bully, but good, comely,
confounding, cool, corking, crackerjack, dandy, dazzling,
deadening, delicious, devastating, divine, ducky, dulling,
electrifying, exquisite, extraordinary, eye-opening, fab, fabulous,
fair, famous, fine, fine and dandy, first-class, first-rate,
first-string, gear, glamorous, glorious, glowing, gorgeous, grand,
great, groovy, hair-raising, handsome, heavenly, heavy, hot,
hunky-dory, jam-up, jarring, jolting, just dandy, keen, killing,
knockout, lovely, magnificent, marvy, mean, mind-boggling,
narcotic, neat, nifty, nobby, number one, numbing, okay,
out of sight, overpowering, overwhelming, paralyzing, peachy,
peachy-keen, petrifying, pretty, pulchritudinous, radiant, raving,
ravishing, remarkable, resplendent, ripping, royal, rum,
scrumptious, sensational, shining, shocking, slap-up, smashing,
solid, something else, sparkling, spectacular, spiffing, spiffy,
splendid, splendorous, splendrous, staggering, startling, striking,
stupefying, stupendous, sublime, superb, superior, surprising,
swell, terrifying, terror, terror-bearing, terror-breathing,
terror-breeding, terror-bringing, terror-fraught, terror-giving,
terror-inspiring, terror-striking, terrorful, terroristic, top,
tough, wizard, wonderful
The Jargon File (version 4.4.7, 29 Dec 2003):
stunning
adj.
Mind-bogglingly stupid. Usually used in sarcasm. ?You want to code what in
Ada? That's a ... stunning idea!?