dumbfounded
adjective

- greatly astonished or amazed
- so shocked that you cannot speak
- to be so surprised and astounded as to be speechless

Merriam-Webster / Cambridge Dictionary / Dictionary dot com

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ORIGIN

From the Old English dumb meaning “mute, silent, refraining from speaking or unable to speak” (5th to mid-12th century). The "b" has probably been silent since the 13th century.

The meaning “To strike dumb with confusion or perplexity” is from the 1650s.

The modern meaning “foolish, ignorant” in US English, was occasional in Middle English (mid 11th to late 15th century), but since 1823 seems derived from the German dumm, especially in Pennsylvania-German.

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HOW STRANGE IS THAT?

While setting up for a “Candid Camera” (versteckte Camera) segment in a bank one day, Peter Funt (the show’s host) was astonished to find himself in the middle of an actual robbery.

As Funt looked on DUMBFOUNDED, the staff—naturally assuming that the robbery was a practice run of a practical joke—began clapping.

So astonished was the robber that he actually dropped his gun and raced out of the bank! (Funt later lamented that the crew had not managed to capture the incident on tape.)

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SYNONYMS

addled, agape, aghast, agog, astonished, astounded, at a loss (for words), at sea, awestruck, bamboozled, bereft of speech, bewildered, blown-away, bowled-over, buffaloed, confounded, disconcerted, DUMBFOUNDED, dumbstruck, electrified, flabbergasted, floored, flummoxed, gobsmacked, goggle-eyed, incredulous, knocked for six (sideways), left speechless, lost for words, moon-eyed, nonplussed, open-mouthed, owly-eyed, rendered speechless, saucer-eyed, speechless, spellbound, spooked, struck dumb, stunned, stupefied, taken aback (by surprise), thunder-struck, tongue-tied, transfixed, unable to believe one’s ears (one’s eyes), wonder-struck, wordless

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SMUGGLE OWAD into a conversation today, say something like:

“Jane was DUMBFOUNDED to learn that she’d won 250,000 euros in the German State Lottery.”

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HERZLICHEN DANK to all readers helping me keep OWAD alive with single or monthly donations at:

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and,

Paul Smith, IBAN: DE75 7316 0000 0002 5477 40