Stunning Meaning
/stˈʌnɪŋ/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjHaving an effect that stuns.
adjExceptionally beautiful or attractive.
Sentence Examples
She is the type men call "stunning."
Alice has stunning legs.
This summit offers stunning views of the surrounding landscape.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The bride looked absolutely ____ in her white dress at the wedding ceremony.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She wore a ____ red dress to the primary ball that received many compliments from all the guests today.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English stunnyng, stunnynge, stounyng, equivalent to stun + -ing.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"At length a univerſal hubbub wild,
Of ſtunning ſounds and voices all confus'd,
Borne through the hollow dark, aſſaults his ear"
— 1667, John Milton, “Book II”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
"The ſtunning ſtroke his ſtubborn nerves unbound;"
— 1720, Homer, translated by Alexander Pope, “Book XXI”, in The Iliad of Homer, volume V, London: […] W[illiam] Bowyer, for Bernard Lintott […], →OCLC, page 233:
"[W]e put off our burdens, and sat down rather dispirited, amidst a stunning noise made by the chirping of myriads of grasshoppers, and an abominable little creature that made a constant croaking "Caw, caw," producing a concert far from harmonious."
— 1859, Paul Betneys (pseud. [i.e. Thomas Nisbet]), chapter LIX, in The English Emigrants: or, Troubles on both Sides of the Atlantic, London: Horsell & Caudwell, page 299:
"What if the very things you like in me now—you'd hate sometime. What if the things I think are strong and stunning in you now, I'd think were pig-headed and kickable after a while?"
— 1923, Rachel Crothers, “Act III”, in Mary the Third[:] A Comedy in Prologue and Three Acts:
"The line along the Northumbrian coast to Berwick and into Scotland is stunning (even on a Voyager!), and the weather is perfect - just sit back, relax, and enjoy the motion picture that plays beyond the window."
— 2022 November 30, Paul Bigland, “Destination Oban: a Sunday in Scotland”, in RAIL, number 971, page 75:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The bride looked absolutely ____ in her white dress at the wedding ceremony.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
She wore a ____ red dress to the primary ball that received many compliments from all the guests today.