shell shock

See synonyms for shell shock on Thesaurus.com

Origin of shell shock

1
First recorded in 1915–20

Other words from shell shock

  • shell-shocked, shellshocked, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use shell shock in a sentence

  • "shell shock" experiences have shown us that the intellect is largely the source of unfavorable suggestion.

    Health Through Will Power | James J. Walsh
  • Colonel Crofton had committed suicide, a result, it was stated, of depression owing to shell-shock.

    What Timmy Did | Marie Adelaide Belloc Lowndes
  • "It must be shell-shock, and a very bad case—probably supposed to be cured, and sent up here to recuperate," thought Colwyn.

    The Shrieking Pit | Arthur J. Rees
  • I was under the impression it was a bad case of shell-shock, but your remarks suggest that it is something worse.

    The Shrieking Pit | Arthur J. Rees

British Dictionary definitions for shell shock

shell shock

noun
  1. loss of sight, memory, etc, resulting from psychological strain during prolonged engagement in warfare: Also called: combat neurosis

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012