astonish
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012Related 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.
We had no inkling at the time what the public response would be - but it was soon clear that something astonishing was happening.
From BBC
His astonishing erudition encouraged him to tread where few playwrights before him had dared to go.
From Los Angeles Times
Nicholas Hytner, who directed Stoppard's play The Hard Problem at the National Theatre in London 10 years ago, celebrated the playwright's "astonishing generosity and curiosity about the work of others".
From BBC
England capitalised on an astonishing first morning of the second Test in Adelaide.
From BBC
Fast bowler Cummins, who has not played since July, missed Australia's astonishing defeat of England in the first Test in Perth.
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.
