gobsmacked

Gobsmacked is a colloquial British English adjective meaning astonished, amazed, or shocked. The term is typically used in informal speech and writing to convey a strong sense of surprise or disbelief. An example might be, “When he announced he would be leaving the company, I was gobsmacked.”

The word is a compound of gob, an informal term for mouth, and smacked. The imagery suggests the mouth being physically open or struck, evoking the sudden opening one experiences when astonished. While the first part “gob” has long been used to refer to the mouth in UK slang, the second part “smacked” extends the sense of impact. The expression likely came into common use in the 1970s or 1980s and has since spread beyond the UK, appearing in Commonwealth countries and in Australian English.

Synonyms that capture similar meanings include astounded, flabbergasted, amazed, and stunned. However, gobsmacked tends to be more informal than these terms and often carries a playful tone. In literary and media contexts, the word can be found in spoken dialogues, script dialogue, or in informal reviews and personal essays. Although largely used in spoken English, it has gained a presence in written informal contexts such as blogs, social media posts, and casual news commentary. The word reflects the colourful lexicon of British slang and is an example of how idiomatic expressions can quickly spread across various media and cultures.