Skip to content

stupéfier

stupefy, astound

verb stoo-peh-FYEH Rare

Origin: Latin stupefacere, from stupere (to be stunned) + facere (to make)

Usage Note

Stupéfier expresses a strong, often paralysing astonishment. The past participle stupéfié is used adjectivally: il était stupéfié (he was dumbfounded). The related noun stupéfiant doubles as 'narcotic drug' (a substance that stupefies), which can cause a moment of ambiguity in context.

Examples

"La nouvelle l'a complètement stupéfié."

Natural Translation

The news completely stupefied him.

Literal Translation

The news him has completely stupefied.

Free starter pack

Building your French vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common French words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Explore French by topic