Synonyms

astonish

American

[uh-ston-ish] / əˈstɒn ɪʃ /

verb (used with object)

to fill with sudden and overpowering surprise or wonder; amaze.

Her easy humor and keen intellect astonished me.

Synonyms:

shock, startle, astound

astonish British

/ əˈstɒnɪʃ /

verb

(tr) to fill with amazement; surprise greatly

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See surprise.

Other Word Forms

astonisher noun
superastonish verb

Etymology

Origin of astonish

First recorded in 1525–35; Middle English astonyen, astonen, probably from unattested dialectal Old French astoner, Old French estoner, from unattested Vulgar Latin extonāre, for Latin attonāre “to strike with lightning,” equivalent to ex- ex- ¹, at- at- + tonāre “to thunder”; extended by -ish ², perhaps reflecting unattested Anglo-French astonir, from dialectal Old French; thunder

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The raids were an astonishing turn for the endeavor.

From Los Angeles Times

I thought it was an astonishing attack on Thomas Frank, because by saying Spurs' players are "a good group with bad habits", Tudor is totally blaming him for everything.

From BBC

And it didn’t hurt his wallet either; his work sold an astonishing 30,000 copies.

From Literature

A few weeks later came astonishing news: She had been given the job without an interview.

From The Wall Street Journal

Grospiron for his part said he was "astonished" by a question from a senator as to whether he would also be resigning.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023