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I am looking for a word that combines happiness and bewilderment.

Say, A and B are long forgotten friends. After a long time B sends A very very good news. A is looking for a short message, a word that expresses his happiness and bewilderment in response to the news.

What would be the word combining these two — happiness and bewilderment?

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It's not one word, but the common expression pleasantly surprised comes to mind.

You might also consider astonished, although I think that connotes amazement rather than happiness. It's still a positive word, though. Thrilled is probably even better.

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    How about "thrilled" -- this seems to suggest both happiness and bewilderment, and is a little more intense than "pleasantly surprised."
    – JAM
    Commented May 24, 2012 at 14:08
  • @tchrist: fair enough; your point is well-taken, scandalous as it may be! My dictionary, under synonyms for surprise, mentions that to astonish is "to strike with wonder by something unlooked for," so I suppose one could be astonished by a suprise visit, pleasant or unpleasant. But some added context from the O.P. would help – just what IS this "very very good news"? Are we talking about an impending last-minute visit, the announcement of an unplanned pregnancy, or a promising investment opportunity from a wealthy man in Nigeria?
    – J.R.
    Commented May 24, 2012 at 14:28
  • @JAM: I agree; I think "thrilled" is a much better word than "astonished". I'll add it to my answer, but I won't restructure my original answer too much, as tchrist's comment is simply too good for me to ruin the set-up.
    – J.R.
    Commented May 24, 2012 at 14:31
  • Thrilled, bit cliche, but sounds right.
    – Quazi Irfan
    Commented May 24, 2012 at 21:44
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Friend A could reply, "I am....:

Flabbergasted — overcome with astonishment; amazed; astounded

Thunderstruck — affected with sudden astonishment or amazement

Gobsmacked — utterly astounded (British slang)

Floored — stunned; overwhelmed: The very idea floored me.

I think gobsmacked, even though I am in the U.S., is my favorite.

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  • I'm very fond of "gobsmacked" and first thought to suggest it myself. but it seems to have the same flexible connotation as "astonished."
    – Bill Lefurgy
    Commented May 24, 2012 at 19:12
  • @Bill Lefurgy, But it's such a fun word, that I think it is also carries a happier connotation.
    – JLG
    Commented May 24, 2012 at 19:54
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Agog might fit the bill. Thesaurus.com shows it as a synonym for bewildered, ardent, eager, enthusiastic and breathless.

It’s used in the manner you seek in several examples. In From This Far Distant Shore, Richard Curtin wrote “Transfixed by a prism of changing colors he gawks at the hypnotic pulse of alternating light. Agog in pleasant bewilderment he follows the image waltzing to the tingling crystal spheres.” In Promises I Made My Mother, Sam Haskell wrote “My father stood there agog, not quite believing his eyes, but happy for me.” I will admit that the term can also sometimes be used in the same way as amazed – unpleasantly shocked – but Common Phrases: And Where They Come From likens “all agog” to “Somebody eager, perhaps even ‘starry-eyed’ over a happy event.” The term seems variously used as simply “agog” or amplified as “all agog.”

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Try

astounded archaic : overwhelmed with astonishment or amazement

or

floor b : flabbergast, dumbfound

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