Literary notes about stunning (AI summary)
The word "stunning" in literature wears many hats. At times it captures breathtaking beauty or visual brilliance—describing a dress that turns heads or vivid colors that dazzle the eye ([1], [2], [3]). In other moments, it conveys the force of physical impact—a powerful blow or the sudden shock of an explosion that overwhelms the senses ([4], [5], [6]). Moreover, "stunning" is employed to mark moments of revelation or transformation, where the effects on characters are as abrupt and profound as they are awe-inspiring ([7], [8], [9]). This versatile term, therefore, enriches the narrative by evoking both the spectacle of beauty and the drama of raw force.
- Wear that gown morning, noon and night; it’s stunning.”
— from The Man Thou Gavest by Harriet T. (Harriet Theresa) Comstock - “You look stunning, dear—a wife of whom any man might be proud.
— from The Brute by Frederic Arnold Kummer - To be sure, Felicity was a stunning beauty.
— from The Story Girl by L. M. (Lucy Maud) Montgomery - The blood came rushing up into her throat and brain, choking her, stunning her, so that she gasped and staggered.
— from The Shepherd of the North by Richard Aumerle Maher - But from the other side came a stunning blow on the point of my jaw, and I heard Paul scream angrily, “Now will you keep away?”
— from Moon-Face, and Other Stories by Jack London - It struck poor Tom, point foremost, and with stunning violence, right between the shoulders in the middle of his back.
— from Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson - The promise and the fulfilment differed so widely that the effect was stunning; he could not decide whether it was most tragic or most grotesque.
— from The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain - The stunning surprise of this reply nailed the hag’s feet to the floor where she stood, and almost took her breath.
— from The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain - The effect of the present revelation was stunning; he trembled and was on the verge of apoplexy.
— from The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas and Auguste Maquet
