astonish
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Synonym Usage
See surprise.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have astonishedperfect
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has astonishedperfect 3rd person singular
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have been astonishingperfect progressive
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is astonishingprogressive 3rd person singular
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astonishingparticiple
-
astonishessingular 3rd person
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are astonishingprogressive
-
has been astonishingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am astonishingprogressive 1st person singular
Past
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had astonishedperfect
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were astonishingprogressive plural
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had been astonishingperfect progressive
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astonishedsimple
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was astonishingprogressive singular
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astonishedparticiple
Future
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; see thunder
Explanation
Things that might astonish you: the discovery of life on another planet, a death-defying performance, and the number of dinosaurs a six-year old child can name. To astonish is to amaze and astound. Remember that astonish means more than surprised. It carries with it a feeling of being truly impressed. Astonish derives from the Latin tonare 'thunder.' When you are astonished, you're thunderstruck. If you plan to astonish someone, you might say before hand, "Wait until you see this. It's going to knock your socks off."
Vocabulary lists containing astonish
"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Act I
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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.
Investment in artificial intelligence continues to astonish amid a technological arms race.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 6, 2025
No matter the general state of the project she was in, Smith never failed to illuminate, astonish and entertain.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 27, 2024
For a half-century, the German artist Ursula Schultze-Bluhm made work that could astonish viewers.
From New York Times • Mar. 2, 2023
In her first address of the 2022 commencement season, Biden told the more than 1,000 graduates that “you astonish me with your grit and your determination and that is why I love teaching community college.”
From Seattle Times • Jun. 7, 2022
It used to astonish us that everyone here has so many children: six or eight or nine.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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.
