erschüttert

Erschüttert is a German term that functions as the past participle of erschüttern and as an adjective meaning “shaken” or “deeply affected.” It can describe physical shaking, such as a structure disturbed by a tremor, or emotional impact, such as a person affected by distressing news. The nuance ranges from a momentary disturbance to a lasting impression.

Erschüttern is built from the verb schüttern (to shake) with the prefix er-, which in German often marks completion or a resulting state. As a result, erschüttert conveys that something has been shaken or that someone has been emotionally unsettled by an event.

In use, erschüttert is most commonly predicative: "Er ist erschüttert," "Der Bericht hat die Öffentlichkeit erschüttert," or "Die Stadt wurde durch das Erdbeben erschüttert." In attributive position, it is less common; more natural in many contexts is the related and more neutral adjective erschütternd, as in "eine erschütternde Nachricht." The noun form is Erschütterung, referring to the act or state of being shaken or disturbed.

Erschüttert appears across journalism, literature, and everyday language to describe reactions to events, disasters, or shocking information. It is closely related to, but distinct from, Worte like bestürzt (stunned) or betroffen (affected), and from erschütternd (shocking), which describes the quality of events rather than the state of a person.