Meanings
comparative more taken aback · superlative most taken aback
- figurativelySurprised, shocked.
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.
1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 8, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC - nauticalSaid of a ship, when the wind, suddenly changing, forces the sails aft against the mast.
- participlepastpast participle of take aback
Synonyms & antonyms
Origin
From taken + aback, first attested in 1840.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bengali চমকে ওঠা, হতচকিত হওয়া
- চমকে ওঠা (comke ōṭha)surprised, shocked
- হতচকিত হওয়া (hotcokito hōẇa)surprised, shocked
Chinese Cantonese 吃驚 /吃惊
- 吃驚 /吃惊 (hek³ ging¹)surprised, shocked
Czech překvapen
- překvapensurprised, shocked
Dutch onthutst
- onthutstsurprised, shocked
Finnish ällistynyt, järkyttynyt
- ällistynytsurprised, shocked
- järkyttynytsurprised, shocked
French surpris, décontenancé
- surprissurprised, shocked
- décontenancésurprised, shocked
- pris de courtsurprised, shocked
German erschrocken
- erschrockensurprised, shocked
Hindi चकित
- चकित (cakit)surprised, shocked
Icelandic bregða, bregða við
- bregðasurprised, shocked
- bregða viðsurprised, shocked
- vera brugðiðsurprised, shocked
- verða hvumsasurprised, shocked
- fara í mínussurprised, shocked
- fara alveg í mínussurprised, shocked
- koma ásurprised, shocked
Italian preso alla sprovvista
- preso alla sprovvistasurprised, shocked
Latin stupefactus, attonitus
- stupefactussurprised, shocked
- attonitussurprised, shocked
- consternatussurprised, shocked
Polish zbity z tropu
- zbity z tropusurprised, shocked
Spanish sorprendido, desconcertado
- sorprendidosurprised, shocked
- desconcertadosurprised, shocked
- estupefactosurprised, shocked
- atónitosurprised, shocked
- consternadosurprised, shocked
Turkish şaşkın
- şaşkınsurprised, shocked
Vietnamese sửng sốt, ngạc nhiên
- sửng sốtsurprised, shocked
- ngạc nhiênsurprised, shocked
Cite this entry
taken aback. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/taken%20aback
“taken aback.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/taken%20aback. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “taken aback,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/taken%20aback.
Source: taken aback on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.