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People have interpretations of what you're supposed to be like. If you're unattractive and overweight, you must have a great personality. If you're attractive, then you must not be the nicest person. People are always taken aback that I'm easygoing but not necessarily stupid.
Mila Kunis

Meaning of "taken aback" in the English dictionary

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DICTIONARY
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PRONUNCIATION OF TAKEN ABACK

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WHAT DOES TAKEN ABACK MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Definition of taken aback in the English dictionary

The definition of taken aback in the dictionary is startled or disconcerted. Other definition of taken aback is having the wind against the forward side so as to prevent forward motion.


WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE TAKEN ABACK

take up
take up on
take up the cudgels
take up the gauntlet
take up with
take vows
take wing
take-home pay
take-up
takeable
takeaway
takeaway food
takeaway meal
takedown
taken
takeoff
takeout
takeover
takeover bid
taker

WORDS THAT END LIKE TAKEN ABACK

aback
back
bareback
bounce back
comeback
cornerback
feedback
get back
go back
hatchback
horseback
huckaback
outback
paperback
pat on the back
pickaback
playback
positive feedback
take aback
upper back

Synonyms and antonyms of taken aback in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «TAKEN ABACK»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «taken aback» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of taken aback

Translation of «taken aback» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF TAKEN ABACK

Find out the translation of taken aback to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of taken aback from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «taken aback» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

吃了一惊
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

sorprendido tomado
570 millions of speakers

English

taken aback
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

लिया अचंभे
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

فوجئت
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

опешил
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

surpresa tomadas
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

হতচকিত
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

pris de court
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Terkejut
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

verdutzt
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

取らびっくり
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

촬영 당황
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Dijupuk bingung
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

ngạc nhiên đưa
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

எடுத்துக் கொண்டது
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

दडलेला
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

şaşırmış
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

preso alla sprovvista
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

zaskoczony
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

сторопів
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

prin surprindere luate
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

αιφνιδιάστηκε
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

verbaas
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

häpen
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

stusset
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of taken aback

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «TAKEN ABACK»

The term «taken aback» is quite widely used and occupies the 46.729 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Quite widely used
78
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «taken aback» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of taken aback
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «taken aback».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «TAKEN ABACK» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «taken aback» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «taken aback» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about taken aback

EXAMPLES

5 QUOTES WITH «TAKEN ABACK»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word taken aback.
1
Summer Altice
People are taken aback by a confident, pretty girl who knows what she wants in life and isn't going to let anyone get in her way. And you know what it's all about? Jealousy.
2
Richard Fleeshman
I've never really been star struck. I was a little bit taken aback when I was doing a chat show recently and I was sat in the make-up chair chatting to a guy say next to me but I couldn't look round and see who it was, it was only when I got up I realised it had been Bryan Adams I'd been talking to!
3
Michael Harney
Even when I do roles that are really profoundly abusive, like, I would say, in 'Deadwood' - there's a guy who's a breeding ground for ignorance and hurtful behavior - the fact that people are so taken aback by that is a good thing because they're looking at themselves, and there's a part of me in there, too.
4
Mila Kunis
People have interpretations of what you're supposed to be like. If you're unattractive and overweight, you must have a great personality. If you're attractive, then you must not be the nicest person. People are always taken aback that I'm easygoing but not necessarily stupid.
5
Eliezer Yudkowsky
If our extinction proceeds slowly enough to allow a moment of horrified realization, the doers of the deed will likely be quite taken aback on realizing that they have actually destroyed the world. Therefore I suggest that if the Earth is destroyed, it will probably be by mistake.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «TAKEN ABACK»

Discover the use of taken aback in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to taken aback and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Taken Aback
This is a novel infused with actual events and authentic characters, a fascinating blend of truth and fiction, and an adventurous journey of discovery and conquest of land and emotion.
Deborah Tuite, 2013
2
Cauchy3-Poems-79: Some Taken Aback
What are branches of trees to winds.
Cheung Shun Sang, 2013
3
The Ramage Companion
In a Manner of Speaking: Taken Aback A person who has been "taken aback" has been suddenly surprised, usually in a negative way. The same thing is true of a ship that has had the wind radically shift on her. A ship that has been taken ...
Tom Grundner, 2007
4
Hunt's Yachting Magazine
evidence at the coroner's inquest, " The boat was all at once taken aback by an eddy wind, and turned over." These sails are so notoriously unsafe, from their liability to be taken aback, that some few cnptuins will not use them, and substitute ...
‎1860
5
American code of marine signals ...
Taken aback. You will be taken aback. Vessel is taken aback. ABAFT. Abaft the beam. Afloat abaft. Aground abaft. ABANDON. Abandoned by the crew. Do not abandon the vessel. The crew refuse to abandon the vessel. Abandoned at sea.
Henry J. Rogers, 1855
6
Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms
1991 Kathleen Jones Learning Not To Be First They were taken aback by the shabbiness of the hotel and lack of cleanliness in the city generally. ABC as easy (or simple) as ABC extremely easy or straightforward. 6 From the 15th to the 17th  ...
John Ayto, 2010
7
The Public Administration (P.A.) Genome Project: Capturing, ...
But a Google search on "aback theory" led to several situations where people were quoted as being "taken aback" by a certain theory. Clearly, the "theory" part here is mostly extraneous, but it was possible to identify a set of factors that were in ...
John W. Dickey, 2009
8
Diccionari UB: anglès-català
... abrev d' Amateur Athletics Association) federacio britanica d'atletisme amateur aardvark n ZOOL porc formiguer aback adv^to be taken aback quedar desconcertat: we were taken aback by their attitude • vam quedar desconcer- tats per la ...
‎2008
9
A Servant of Sarawak: Reminiscences of a Crown Counsel in ...
I was taken aback by his dress. I didn't, at that early stage of my sojourn in Sarawak, expect an English judge to be dressed in Malay dress. What I didn't know at the time was that this judge had been a District Officer under the Third Rajah.
Peter Mooney, 2011
10
Loyalties: a Drama in Three Acts
Well, that man Was taken aback. If I'm a judge, Mr. Twisden, he was taken aback, not to speak in a guilty way, but he was, as you might say, flummoxed.1 "Now," I said to him, "where did you get it — that's the point?" He took his time to answer, ...
John Galsworthy, 1922

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «TAKEN ABACK»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term taken aback is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Junhyung is taken aback by a question from a radio show listener
A taken aback Junhyung said, "I have no memory of this. I do know who this person is. It's been ten years since we contacted each other. I think I need to have a ... «allkpop, Jul 15»
2
Corbyn taken aback by support for him to become Labour leader
When Jeremy Corbyn joined the race to become the next Labour leader he did not exude confidence about his prospects, admitting he was only entering the ... «Financial Times, Jul 15»
3
Baroness Amos: I was taken aback when I found out I was the first …
“I was taken aback when I found out I'd be the first black female head of a university,” says the baroness, who will take up her role at Soas [the School of Oriental ... «The Guardian, Jul 15»
4
Analysis: RSA taken aback at record €1.25m tribunal award
The noise you heard on Monday was jaws dropping around town at the news that Philip Smith had been awarded €1.25 million by the Employment Appeals ... «Irish Times, Jun 15»
5
Cliff Mass 'taken aback' by claims of this year's 'super drought'
Cliff Mass was surprised to hear how Governor Jay Inslee and some of the media described this summer's potential drought. (Department of Ecology). «MyNorthwest.com, Jun 15»
6
SIM students taken aback as missing table forces exam retake
... the university has swiftly made alternative arrangements for the new Statistics 1 examination papers to be taken following the discovery of the omission.”. «Channel News Asia, May 15»
7
Alan Shearer 'taken aback' at plea by Fabricio Coloccini to …
For a player to come out and ask the fans still to support them, I was a bit taken aback and disappointed in that. “The players have got to give the fans something ... «The Independent, May 15»
8
Carolyn Hax: Bride-to-be taken aback by friend's request for a plus …
I'm torn because I've always had a “the more the merrier” mentality, but I'm taken aback by the request. My fiance has left the decision up to me, but said he's not ... «Washington Post, May 15»
9
Dundee's Greg Stewart 'taken aback' by nomination for PFA award
I'm just obviously delighted and a wee bit taken aback to be fair. “Playing against boys like that, they could easily go and play in the English Premier League no ... «SkySports, Apr 15»
10
Garda 'taken aback' at political questions in job interview
An Assistant Garda commissioner has claimed he was asked by Garda Commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan during interviews for the position of deputy ... «Irish Times, Apr 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Taken aback [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/taken-aback>. Apr 2024 ».
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