Smitten Meaning
/ˈsmɪ.tn̩/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjAffected by an act of smiting.
adjAffected by an act of smiting., Made irrationally enthusiastic.
Sentence Examples
Dan was immediately smitten with Linda.
He was smitten with your mother.
So smitten, Chaereas could barely make his way home.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
After meeting her, he was completely ____ with love and could not stop thinking about her.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He was completely ____ with the new puppy and spent all his free time playing with it.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English smiten, from Old English smiten, ġesmiten, from Proto-Germanic *smitanaz, past participle of Proto-Germanic *smītaną (“to hurl; fling”), equivalent to smite + -en (past participle ending).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"[A] smited man is a man struck; a smitten man is a man affected by the act of smiting: […]"
— 1850, Matthew Stewart, Remarks on the Subject of Language, with Some Observations in the Form of Notes, Illustrative of the Information which Language may Afford of the History and Opinions of Mankind, London: Printed by Richard and John Edward-Taylor, Red Lion Court, Fleet Street, for, and at the expense of the author, →OCLC, page 30:
"There was a tense silence over the throng as the old man stood and looked at the figure at his feet. There were shadows on the earl's face, and his hands shook, for the smitten man was his son."
— 1903, Warwick Deeping, “Book I. The Way to Winchester”, in Uther and Igraine, New York, N.Y.: The Outlook Company, published 1904, →OCLC, page 22:
"The Bible shows the way of God with man and the way of man with God. It contains both the complaint of God against the wicked and the shriek of the smitten man, demanding justice of God."
— 1997, Abraham Joshua Heschel, edited by Fritz A. Rothschild, Between God and Man: An Interpretation of Judaism: From the Writings of Abraham Joshua Heschel, New York, N.Y.: Free Press Paperbacks, Simon & Schuster, →ISBN, page 250:
"[W]hen the alternate designation is introduced, turning the character from “man” or “brother” to “his smiter,” this balance is disturbed, and suddenly we have a smiter and a smitten person, not two people in a fight with each other."
— 2010, Assnat Bartor, “Point of View”, in Reading Law as Narrative: A Study in the Casuistic Laws of the Pentateuch (Ancient Israel and its Literature; 5), Atlanta, Ga.: Society of Biblical Literature, →ISBN, page 175:
"In the argument, which followed between Job and his comforters, the poor, smitten man regained some of his faith and uttered many noble words concerning the wisdom of God. Finally, God revealed to Job the whole truth of the matter."
— 2010, Constance B. Nealey, The Teaching/Learning Process: Undergirded by Biblical Teachings: Teaching the Bible Way, [Bloomington, Ind.]: Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN, page 50:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
After meeting her, he was completely ____ with love and could not stop thinking about her.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
He was completely ____ with the new puppy and spent all his free time playing with it.