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Suffix · forms adjectives

-struck

Forms adjectives describing someone suddenly and intensely affected: awestruck, thunderstruck, starstruck, dumbstruck, moonstruck, horror-struck.

In Spanish: impactado por / deslumbrado porLiterary

Written by Bryan López, English teacher · Updated June 2026

What does -struck express?

-struck comes from the past participle of "strike" (to hit) and forms adjectives describing the sudden, intense impact of something on the senses, mind, or emotions: • awestruck = overwhelmed and silenced by awe • thunderstruck = stunned as if struck by lightning • starstruck = dazzled and paralysed in the presence of a celebrity • dumbstruck = struck speechless by shock or amazement • moonstruck = in a trance-like state; wildly in love • sunstruck = suffering from heatstroke • horror-struck = paralysed by horror

Awestruck: the most literary compound

"Awestruck" is the most literary and high-register -struck compound. It describes the state of someone left speechless before something that inspires "awe" — a blend of reverence, admiration, and near-sacred fear. Unlike "surprised" or "amazed," "awestruck" implies something that exceeds human comprehension and produces near-paralysis: "The astronauts were awestruck by the silence of space." "Standing before the cathedral, she was completely awestruck." In literary English, "awestruck" marks the moment of the sublime: when beauty or power surpasses our capacity to react.

Thunderstruck and dumbstruck: shock without words

"Thunderstruck" (literally: struck by thunder) describes total stupefaction, the shock that leaves no response, as if a bolt of lightning had struck: "He was thunderstruck by the news." "They stood thunderstruck as the building collapsed." "Dumbstruck" is more specific: not just shock, but the literal loss of speech. "Dumb" in classical English means "mute" (not "stupid"), so "dumbstruck" = silenced by the impact. "She was dumbstruck when she heard she had won." Both appear frequently in narrative and journalism to describe moments of extreme shock.

How it is pronounced

-struck/strʌk/ · sounds like "struck"

Tap the button to hear how the ending sounds. Each word in the table has its own audio.

Examples

Base word
With -struck
In a phrase
  • aweawestruckThe astronauts were awestruck by the vast silence of space.
  • thunderthunderstruckHe was thunderstruck when he heard his name announced as the winner.
  • starstarstruckShe was so starstruck she forgot what she had planned to say.
  • dumbdumbstruckThe audience sat dumbstruck for several seconds after the final scene.
  • moonmoonstruckHe wandered the streets at night, moonstruck and unable to sleep.
  • horrorhorror-struckThe witnesses stood horror-struck at the scene before them.
  • sunsunstruckAfter hours in the sun without water, he became sunstruck.

Common mistakes

dumbstruck = stupid
dumbstruck = unable to speak from shock

"Dumb" in classical and literary English means "mute," not "stupid." "Dumbstruck" = silenced by the impact of a shock or surprise. No connotation of stupidity.

awestruck and amazed are the same
awestruck implies reverence and near-paralysis; amazed is milder

"Amazed" = surprised and impressed. "Awestruck" = overwhelmed by something of near-superhuman grandeur, with a blend of admiration and sacred fear. "Awestruck" is higher register and more literary.

A trick to remember it

Use "awestruck," "thunderstruck," and "dumbstruck" when you need to describe extreme emotional impact in formal or literary English. Each is far more expressive than "surprised" or "shocked": each adds a concrete image (the reverential silence, the lightning bolt, the loss of speech). In journalism, all three appear in headlines and chronicles of high-impact moments.

Practise what you learned

Exercise 1 · Form the word

Fill in: "The audience was ___ by the final twist in the play." (struck speechless)

Hint: Dumb (mute) + struck: hit and left speechless.

Exercise 2 · Pick the right one

"She stood awestruck before the ancient ruins." What does "awestruck" express?

Exercise 3 · Form the word

Fill in: "He was ___ when he heard he had been chosen for the mission." (stunned as if by lightning)

Hint: Thunder + struck: hit as if by a thunderbolt.

Frequently asked questions

What does the suffix -struck mean in English?

The suffix -struck forms adjectives describing someone suddenly and intensely affected: awestruck, thunderstruck, starstruck, dumbstruck, moonstruck, horror-struck. In Spanish it usually maps to impactado por / deslumbrado por.

How do you pronounce -struck?

The ending -struck is pronounced /strʌk/ · sounds like "struck". For example, "awestruck".

Can you give an example of a word with -struck?

"awe" becomes "awestruck". It is a typical example of the -struck suffix.

Other useful suffixes

  • -born

    From Old English "boren" (born): forms adjectives of birth condition, origin or destiny. Firstborn, highborn, stillborn, freeborn, newborn.

  • -bound

    From the past participle of "bind": forms adjectives meaning "confined by," "heading toward," or "obligated by." Spellbound, earthbound, homebound, hidebound, snowbound, inbound.

  • -stricken

    Forms adjectives describing someone or something severely affected by an emotion, condition, or calamity: poverty-stricken, grief-stricken, panic-stricken, awe-stricken, drought-stricken.

Learn every English suffix

-tion, -ness, -ful, -ly, -able... every ending you need to understand thousands of words at once.

View all suffixes
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