Smitten
adjective /ˈsmɪtən/ — Suddenly and intensely struck by love or attraction.
Definition
Suddenly, powerfully, and helplessly captivated by a person — love arriving as a physical event, like being struck. The past participle of 'smite': you have been hit.
Beyond the definition
Smitten is one of the most precise words for early love. It emphasises the suddenness and the loss of agency — this did not happen gradually; it happened to you. The word contains the impact: smite, smitten. You were struck.
Origin & history
Past participle of Old English 'smītan' (to strike, to smear). By the 17th century it had acquired its romantic meaning: struck by love as by a blow. The impact metaphor is deeply embedded.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
He was smitten from the first conversation — undone by her laugh before the afternoon ended.
She tried not to be smitten, and failed within the week.
Smitten is the word for love before you know you're in love.
Synonyms
infatuated, besotted, lovestruck, enchanted
Antonyms
indifferent, immune
Related words
Smitten vs infatuated
Smitten is a sudden, often delightful realization of attraction. Infatuated implies a more obsessive, blinding, and often irrational stage of attraction.
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Struck by a moment
Two adults share a moment of intense, hesitant connection across a room, both caught by the power of the encounter.
The mutual moment of hesitation illustrates the sudden impact of romantic attraction. It portrays how love can feel like being struck, an event that temporarily overrides one's ability to think or act with full control.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration