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Synonyms

astonishing

American  
[uh-ston-i-shing] / əˈstɒn ɪ ʃɪŋ /

adjective

  1. causing astonishment or surprise; amazing.

    an astonishing victory; an astonishing remark.
astonishing British  
/ əˈstɒnɪʃɪŋ /

adjective

  1. causing great surprise or amazement; astounding

"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

Other Word Forms

  • astonishingly adverb
  • astonishingness noun

Etymology

Origin of astonishing

First recorded in 1520–30; astonish + -ing 2

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

"It is astonishing that we are being asked to close after all of this. Along with Hamleys and Liberty, we are the oldest tenants on Regent Street."

From BBC

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.