aback
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
During his run, he said, he was taken aback by sights such as a North Korean raising a poodle’s paw to wave at runners.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
But Rodriguez, who has endorsed Bass for mayor and is a frequent critic of Raman, said she was taken aback by Raman’s attitude at their dinner.
From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026
Tom Griffin, whose 15-year-old son was asked to leave, said he was "taken aback" when he saw the sign and that teenagers had been "unfairly targeted".
From BBC • May 15, 2026
Smart said she was a little taken aback when she first learned how things would pan out for aging comic Deborah Vance and her mentee Ava Daniels, played by Hannah Einbinder.
From Barron's • Apr. 6, 2026
Ortiz went to see the piece and was taken aback; it was, to his mind, clearly a fake, full of contradictory and slipshod elements.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
Vocabulary lists containing aback
The Diary of Anne Frank
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Just Mercy
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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
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