When the Stevens family returned home from their two week vacation, they were aghast to find that loads of stray cats were living in their house.
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mystery -
Something that is difficult or impossible to understand or explain, a person or thing that arouses curiosity or wonder because it is unknown or puzzling.
The cause of the strange noise in the attic remains a mystery.
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anticlimax -
A situation where the outcome is much less dramatic than expected.
The final scene was such an anticlimax after all the suspense, that the audience was very disappointed.
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adjective
dumbstruck -
So shocked or surprised as to be unable to speak.
When Bill heard on the phone that the storm had destroyed his summer house, he was dumbstruck, and didn't know how to respond.
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divulge -
To reveal something secret or private, to make known information that was previously hidden.
The company wouldn't divulge any details about the new product, and it would be top secret until it came out.
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telltale -
Revealing or indicating something hidden or secret, showing the inner nature of something.
The telltale smell of smoke hinted at a fire nearby.
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adjective
flabbergasted -
To be surprised, amazed, or shocked very unexpectedly
Lucille was flabbergasted when she arrived at her classroom Tuesday morning for another day of teaching, and her 4th grade students had made a surprise birthday party for her.
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startle -
Cause (a person or animal) to feel sudden shock or alarm
The speeding car startled Victor, and he had just enough time to jump out of the way.
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discrepancy -
A difference between two things that are expected to be the same.
Her story had a major discrepancy that made the police suspicious.
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impact -
The force or action of one object hitting another.
The impact of the car crash was so strong that it damaged both vehicles.
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verb
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astound -
Very surprised or shocked
The American public was astounded by the revelations about Watergate that were revealed by Woodward and Bernstein in the Washington Post.
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adjective
unthinkable -
So out of the ordinary that it cannot be imagined as possible
When Genghis Khan was born in 1162, it was unthinkable that someone from his nomadic tribe could conquer most of the known world - but that is what he did.
