What is the best word for being both horrified and fascinated at the same time?

[Tommy_Carcetti]

I've looked all over and I can't quite put my finger on a single word that best encapsulates that seemingly paradoxical feeling.

[Evergreen Emerald]

1. horrinated Fascified?

Sorry. Its Friday.

[LAS14]

2. That's the sort of thing I was trying to come up with, but I guess it's...

... too early in the day or too late in life.

[mr_lebowski]

3. First thing that came to mind was 'rubbernecking' but that's not a very good word lol (nt)

[watoos]

4. Ambivalent?

[SWBTATTReg]

5. Transfixed?

cause (someone) to become motionless with horror, wonder, or astonishment.

"he was transfixed by the pain in her face"

[Tommy_Carcetti]

6. Could work. nt

[Zoonart]

11. Magnetized?

As magnets repel and attract.

[Docreed2003]

7. If you come up with one, let me know!

The idea of being horrified and yet fascinated seems to be a deeply ingrained and ancient human trait. The concept was even described by Plato in "The Republic"

[empedocles]

8. I have an example that captures horror and fascination at the same time. traitortrump's

unguarded cell phone. Horror that vital information on his phone is monitored by numerous hostile entities. Fascination that trump may be doing it, knowing putin is listening, for trump trying to assure putin that trump is putting putin ahead of America and its allies.

[Leghorn21]

9. Aghast and riveted

Or not!

[LAS14]

33. I think aghast does it. What else does it mean? nt

[RKP5637]

10. Maybe betwixted? n/t

[RKP5637]

12. tRumpted? n/t

[TexasBushwhacker]

13. Have you been watching Dr Pimple Popper again? n/t

[watoos]

15. LOLOLOL,

There is absolutely no program that I click past faster than that show. I have only caught very brief glimpses of that show, don't tell me more.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

19. I'm horrified/fascinated that they would name a TV show after a Seinfeld joke. nt

[ProudLib72]

41. I've watched so much of that show I ought to be awarded a degree in dermatology

All the episodes are available on youtube, you know, so you never need to miss a single one!

[TexasBushwhacker]

42. Thanks. I'll pass.

I do admire someone who can do that for a living though. Good for her!

[watoos]

14. Dictionary;

am·biv·a·lent
Dictionary result for ambivalent


/amˈbivələnt/


adjective

adjective: ambivalent




having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

21. Ambivilent is too wishy-washy, though.

It seems to denote someone or something that has both good and bad qualities.


I'm thinking more of a feeling of complete disgust yet utter captivation. There's nothing real good about it, but you still are drawn in.

[watoos]

24. Bull fighting.

[ZZenith]

16. Gobsmacked is my go to.

[MLAA]

17. Car wreck-captivated

[Downtown Hound]

18. Horrifinated?

[KayF]

31. +1

[Major Nikon]

20. Cannabis

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

22. Gobsmacked is the closest thing I can think of, but we really need a specific word

for what you experience when confronted with something so awful that you don't want to look at it but at the same time so weird that you can't help looking - like a freeway accident involving a clown car and a semi full of buffaloes, a sumo match between Chris Christie and Rush Limbaugh, or the Trump administration. Like, My God, I'll never be able to unsee this! as you stand transfixed and can't look away.

[aka-chmeee]

36. How about this

Gobsmacked occurred to me too, but maybe we could give it some specificity and change it to GOPsmacked.

[mia]

23. Dumbfounded

[Ptah]

25. verklempt

[LAS14]

34. Could be. Well....

Last edited Fri Feb 22, 2019, 03:05 PM - Edit history (1)

This felt right, and I did know German eons ago, but Google translates English translation is..... VERKLEMPT!


YIKES!!! One of my pet peeves is the inappropriate use of apostrophe s. I just now noticed that I wrote "Google translate's...." I guess I'll have to give folks the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes the mistake is just in the fingers.

[bearsfootball516]

26. Stupefied

[Karadeniz]

27. I don't know for a verb like you're wanting.

For an adjective meaning both attracting and repelling, it's grotesque.

[bigbrother05]

28. Disgustinated - disgusted but fascinated?

[unblock]

29. transfixed?

[LAS14]

37. That can work, depending on the context. But you can also be transfixed by a good thing. nt

[procon]

30. "Trump".

[bif]

32. Flummoxed?

[consider_this]

35. Morbid curiosity...

sorry, that is two words, but is the closest thing that comes to mind at the moment.

[Aristus]

38. Mortified?

n/t

[unblock]

39. "shocked and chagrined, mortified and stupefied"

ok, more than one word, but someone had to say it....

[Donkees]

40. frightseeing (sightseeing)

[okaawhatever]

43. It sounds like you're talking about rubbernecking (looking at a car accident to see if it's gory out

of curiosity and fascination), but I don't know any words that describe the feeling without a car being involved.

I also suggest using hypnotized with another word to capture both sentiments.

Sorry, that's all I got...…………

[csziggy]

44. Astounded? Flabbergast? Apalled? Confounded?