thunderstroke

[ thuhn-der-strohk ]

/ ˈθʌn dərˌstroʊk /

a stroke of lightning accompanied by thunder.

Origin of thunderstroke

First recorded in 1580–90; thunder + stroke¹

It may be imagined that this was a thunderstroke to Madame: it nearly killed her.

The Memoirs of Louis XIV., His Court and The Regency, Complete |Duc de Saint-Simon
The world seems to be on tiptoe, listening for a thunderstroke of Fate.

The Drama Of Three Hundred & Sixty-Five Days |Hall Caine
As for doctrine, Arminianism and Vorstianism were to be blasted with one thunderstroke from the British throne.

The Life of John of Barneveld, 1614-23, Volume II. |John Lothrop Motley
Be that as it may, hearing of her marriage, several years afterward, was as a thunderstroke.

The Life of Lord Byron |John Galt

These words fell upon Charlotte like a thunderstroke: she rose from her seat half-fainting, and unconscious of what she did.

The Sorrows of Young Werther |J.W. von Goethe