WordGarden.iostricken
B1Pronunciation
UK
- /strˈɪkən/
US
- /ˈstrɪkən/
Meanings
Adjective
overwhelmed by grief, fear, or shock
badly affected by disaster, war, poverty, or crisis
seriously ill or afflicted by disease
Beyond the definition
To be stricken by something—like illness, grief, or disaster—means to be powerfully and negatively impacted by it. It suggests a sudden, forceful blow that leaves someone devastated. You might say a town was stricken by a hurricane, or a family was stricken with sorrow after a loss.
The word carries more weight than simply being affected; it implies vulnerability and a deep emotional or physical toll. Think of someone left speechless with shock because the news has hit them so hard. It is a term often used in contexts involving tragedy, suffering, or serious hardship.
Imagine a mighty oak tree suddenly struck by lightning. The impact is immediate and devastating, leaving visible scars and weakening its very foundation. That image captures the essence of the word stricken. To be stricken means to be powerfully hit by something—usually something negative like disease, disaster, grief, or shock. It's more than just being impacted; it suggests a forceful blow that leaves someone deeply vulnerable and profoundly changed.
Historically an older past participle of the verb "strike," stricken retains the sense of being "smitten" or "hit" with force. You might read about communities stricken by famine, individuals stricken with a rare illness, or a landscape stricken by drought. It is also frequently found in compound adjectives like poverty-stricken or grief-stricken, which describe a person or place heavily burdened by a particular hardship.
The word is equally powerful when describing emotional states: "She was utterly stricken by the news of the accident." It implies a level of distress that is almost paralyzing, leaving one feeling helpless. In specific formal contexts, such as a courtroom or in editing, the word can mean to be removed or deleted, as in "stricken from the record." In most everyday uses, it suggests being badly affected by something serious and painful; in formal use, it can simply mean that something has been removed.
Examples
- 1
Sudden shock
She looked stricken when she realized her passport was missing.
- 2
Strong feeling
He was stricken with doubt halfway through the interview.
- Patternstricken with + feeling/illness
badly affected by it
- 3
Illness
Three players were stricken with food poisoning the night before the match.
- 4
Natural disaster
The region was stricken by drought for a second year in a row.
- Patternstricken by + harmful event/problem
badly affected by it
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
After a death
The grief-stricken family asked for privacy after the funeral.
- Phrasegrief-stricken
extremely sad after a death
See also
Similar
Shades of meaning
- devastated
- grief-stricken
- poverty-stricken
Contrast
Used with (collocations)
- stricken with grief
- stricken by illness
- disaster-stricken area
- panic-stricken
Word family
Explore
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- strickenadjective