shell-shocked
adj1
Dated Stunned or mentally unbalanced by prolonged stress such as experienced in combat or under fire (shell-fire); suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
- Glenn Kilbourne had returned from France early that fall, shell-shocked and gassed, and otherwise incapacitated for service in the army—a wreck of his former sterling self.1922, Zane Grey, chapter 1, in The Call of the Canyon:
2
Figuratively Confused as a result of a traumatic experience.
- With inflationary pressures easing and economic concerns mounting, shell-shocked investors are seeking the protection of government securities.2008 December 18, Luke Mullins, “The Top 5 Housing-Market Hopes for 2009”, in U.S.News & World Report, retrieved 22 Dec 2008:
- I lay there, momentarily shell-shocked as, hungover and jet-lagged, I tried to remember what I was doing today. Something important.2016, Rosie Blake, chapter 15, in How to Find Your (First) Husband, London: Corvus, →ISBN, page 129:
1 more example
- A family from Knebworth has been left shell-shocked by the return of their beloved tortoise, more than eight months after she went missing.2022 July 13, “Stop & Examine”, in RAIL, number 961, page 71:
- Related terms
- battle fatigue, combat fatigue, PTSD, shell shock