Etymologically
Log in

flabbergast

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 07:32. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈflæbəɡɑːst/ (UK); /ˈflæbɚˌɡæst/ (US)[1]

Etymology

It is of unknown or uncertain origin.[2][3][4] It may come from a dialect, since it was noted as a Sussex word in 1823,[4] and it may be an arbitrary formation from flabby or flapper and aghast.[5][4][6] Barnhart rejects a link with Scots flabrigastit “worn out”, which appears only later.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

To astonish utterly, leaving someone unable to speak or act (1772).[7][5][3][4]

Semantic evolution

In 1772 a magazine mentioned flabbergasted, together with bored, as a new fashionable word.[4] The meaning has stayed the same, and the past participle flabbergasted is the commonest form.[4][1] The noun flabbergastation is recorded in 1856.[7]

Timeline

  • 1772 – to astonish utterly.[7][5][3][4]
  • 1823 – noted as a Sussex word.[4]
  • 1856 – flabbergastation.[7]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To overwhelm with surprise or bewilderment; to astound.

Word family

  • flabbergastingly
  • flabbergaster
  • aghast
  • flabby

Usage notes

Random House lists amaze, astonish, stagger, nonplus and confound as synonyms.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. ^ a b c d Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
  6. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  7. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press