stunning

1 of 2

adjective

stun·​ning ˈstə-niŋ How to pronounce stunning (audio)
Synonyms of stunning
1
: causing astonishment or disbelief
stunning news
2
: strikingly impressive especially in beauty or excellence
a stunning view
stunning workmanship
stunningly adverb

stunning

2 of 2

present participle of stun entry 1

Synonyms of stunning

Relevance

Adjective

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of stunning in a Sentence

Adjective Researchers have made a stunning discovery. Our room had a stunning view of the lake.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
For the third-act interrogation scene of Longlegs, the horror-mystery’s occult obsessed serial killer (played by Nicolas Cage in heavy prosthetic makeup) punctuates his free-associative jailhouse ramblings with a stunning act of self-annihilation. — Chris Lee, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2026 That stunning upset victory for the Illini in Champaign was orchestrated by true freshman quarterback Michael Clayton II, who could potentially be Konkey’s quarterback next season. — Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 29 Oct. 2026 The sculptures were frequently stained with graphite or chalk dust, whose force of presence was comparable to that of cliff or cave, capable of stunning the viewer into silence. — News Desk, Artforum, 29 Oct. 2026 There’s a stunning Day of the Dead exhibit at Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 29 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for stunning

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1667, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of stunning was in 1667

Rhymes for stunning

See All Rhymes for stunning

Browse Nearby Words

stunner hitch
stunning
stunningly
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stunning.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stunning. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

stunning

adjective
stun·​ning
ˈstən-iŋ
1
: causing astonishment or disbelief
stunning news
2
: unusually impressive especially in beauty or excellence
a stunning view
a stunning effort
stunningly adverb
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Pyrrhic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All