speechlessness
1
5.5
- noun
- /ˈspiːtʃləsnəs/
- When she received the shocking news, her speechlessness left everyone around her concerned.
Examples
-
I said something about the point of the problem; now here's that, and I'm inclined to think that speechlessness is a huge part of it.
Blog text (30) -
It took the stroke and her father's speechlessness to make her wish she could talk to him.
Fiction book (1999) -
I felt a tiny shiver from his spontaneous speechlessness.
Blog text (33) -
A commanding way he had, as though there were never a question she would do what he asked, left her frustrated to the point of speechlessness.
Fiction book (2001) -
And Oprah's jaw dropped into speechlessness when Rielle Hunter looked her straight in the eye and answered, "Oh no, I'm not a homewrecker."
Blog text (34) -
The audience was engulfed in speechlessness as the magician finished his incredible performance.
-
His speechlessness during the announcement of the award showed just how overwhelmed he felt.
Synonyms
623
2.3
A sudden strong feeling of surprise and distress after an unexpected event
373
2.0
A period with no sound or speech
19
3.9
A very stunned and numb feeling after a sudden bad event
1
6.8
Not speaking because someone cannot or chooses not to speak
1
9.5
A state of being so shocked that you cannot think or react
1
5.3
Being unable to speak because of a physical problem or by choice
1
7.6
A silence that shows meaning without words
Antonyms
How Speechless
Surface Forms
Morphology
speechlessness = speechless (transparent) = speech + less + ness
Formed from the adjective 'speechless' + '-ness'; the noun denotes the state of being unable to speak and is straightforward for learners familiar with 'speechless'.
Etymology
Speechlessness comes from the parts speech ('talk' or 'words') plus -less ('without') and -ness ('a state'). So it literally means the 'state of having no words', the quiet you feel when you are too shocked or moved to speak.