aback

Meaning

Adv

1. Towards the back or rear; backwards.
2. In the rear; a distance behind.
3. By surprise; startled; dumbfounded. (see usage)
4. Backward against the mast; said of the sails when pressed by the wind from the "wrong" (forward) side, or of a ship when its sails are set that way.

Noun

An inscribed stone square.

Synonyms

bemused

backwards

back

🔙

backward

baffled

befogged

befuddled

behind

bewildered

confounded

😖

confused

😕

dazzled

disconcerted

disoriented

distracted

embarrassed

fazed

flabbergasted

muddleheaded

mystified

nonplussed

overawed

puzzled

rearward

stirred

astonied

gobsmacked

nonplused

rear wards

asswards

abaft

astounded

Pronounced as (IPA)

/əˈbæk/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English: abak

Inherited from Old English: onbæc

Cognate with Western Frisian: tebek

Cognate with Swedish: tillbaka

In summary

From Middle English abak, from Old English onbæc, equivalent to a- (“towards”) + back. Compare West Frisian tebek (“aback”, adverb, literally “to/at back”), Swedish tillbaka (idem.).