taken aback

English

Etymology

From taken + aback, first attested in 1840.

Pronunciation

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• Audio (Southern England):

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Adjective

taken aback (comparative more taken aback, superlative most taken aback)

1. (figuratively) Surprised, shocked.
   • 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 8, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:

     It was a casual sneer, obviously one of a long line. There was hatred behind it, but of a quiet, chronic type, nothing new or unduly virulent, and he was taken aback by the flicker of amazed incredulity that passed over the younger man's ravaged face.

2. (nautical) Said of a ship, when the wind, suddenly changing, forces the sails aft against the mast.

Translations

surprised, shocked

Bengali: চমকে ওঠা (comke ōṭha), হতচকিত হওয়া (hotcokito hōẇa) Chinese: Cantonese: 吃驚 / 吃惊 (hek3 ging1) Czech: překvapen Dutch: onthutst (nl) Finnish: ällistynyt, järkyttynyt (fi) French: surpris (fr), décontenancé (fr), pris de court (fr) German: erschrocken (de) Gujarati: ચકિત (gu) (cakit) Haitian Creole: souke, sekwe Hindi: चकित (hi) (cakit) Icelandic: bregða (is), bregða við, vera brugðið, verða hvumsa, fara í mínus, fara alveg í mínus, koma á Italian: preso alla sprovvista Latin: stupefactus, attonitus, consternatus Marathi: चकित (cakit) Polish: zbity z tropu Spanish: sorprendido (es), desconcertado (es), estupefacto (es), atónito (es), consternado (es) Turkish: şaşkın (tr) Vietnamese: sửng sốt (vi), ngạc nhiên (vi)

Verb

taken aback

1. past participle of take aback