phrasal verb · neutral
get taken aback
UK/ɡet ˌteɪk(ə)n əˈbæk/US/ɡet ˌteɪkən əˈbæk/get·TAK·en·a·BACK
speakingtask2
to be very surprised by something unexpected
Examples
“I was completely taken aback when they announced the decision.”
“She looked taken aback at the sudden question.”
“The audience were taken aback by how honest his speech was.”
Band 8 sentence
“I was genuinely taken aback when the review criticised the project without offering any constructive feedback.”
Collocations
- be taken aback by
- get taken aback
Word family
take aback verbbe taken aback adjective (used predicatively)taken aback adjective
Common mistakes
taken back→taken aback
I was taken→I was taken aback
Say it for a higher band
5surprised→6shocked→7+taken aback
Synonyms
surprised
astonished
Easily confused
surprised
“I was surprised by how friendly everyone was.”
taken back
“He said he was taken back by the criticism.”
Related words
Learn this word with the rest of its set, and get reminded at the right time.
In get …
Learn it with its set