choquant
/ʃɔ.kɑ̃/
The English word 'shocking' is translated into French as choquant.
choquant is an adjective used to describe something that is startling or inspires shock.
Meaning: inspiring shock, startling (adj)
Which one should you use?
While choquant describes something that causes shock, it is distinct from surprenant, which means 'surprising' and lacks the connotation of moral or social offense.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective must agree in gender with the noun it modifies, so use the feminine form choquante for feminine nouns. The adjective must agree in number with the noun it modifies, so use the masculine plural form choquants for masculine plural nouns and the feminine plural form choquantes for feminine plural nouns.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /ʃɔ.kɑ̃/. It has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- The phrase choquer les bourgeois describes a specific artistic or social goal of deliberately offending the middle class to provoke a reaction. This concept is a recurring theme in French avant-garde history.
- The word choquant shares a root with the English word 'shock', which entered English from French in the 16th century. Originally, it referred to a violent blow or a collision.
- Unlike English, where 'shocking' can sometimes be used as an intensifier for something positive like 'shockingly beautiful', choquant is almost exclusively negative in French.
Examples in context
- C'est choquant, n'est-ce pas ?It's shocking, isn't it?Tatoeba #3636858 by sacredceltic, translation #2545867 by CK
- Tom découvrit une autre vérité choquante à propos de Marie.Tom uncovered another shocking truth about Mary.Tatoeba #4588173 by Scorpionvenin14, translation #4588169 by Amastan
- Dans mon pays règne un niveau choquant d'ignorance en mathématiques.In my country there is a shocking amount of mathematical ignorance.Tatoeba #1643866 by sacredceltic, translation #1642351 by Objectivesea
- Ce qui s'est passé est vraiment choquant.What happened is truly shocking.
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Manon are discussing a news report they just saw.
- HugoTu as vu les informations ?Did you see the news?
- ManonOui, c'est vraiment choquant.Yes, it is truly shocking.
- HugoJe suis d'accord avec toi, Manon.I agree with you, Manon.
- ManonC'est une nouvelle terrible.It is terrible news.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “shocking” translations and entries choquant, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
