Synonyms

astonished

American

[uh-ston-isht] / əˈstɒn ɪʃt /

adjective

filled with sudden and overpowering surprise or wonder; amazed.

Before the eyes of the astonished crowd, the magician pulled off everything from simple card tricks to the disappearance of his lovely assistant.

verb

the simple past tense and past participle of astonish.

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of astonished

First recorded in 1510–20, for an earlier sense; astonish + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective sense; astonish + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb sense

Explanation

If you are astonished, you're feeling the emotional punch of a huge surprise. If you've lived in the city your whole life, the first night you spend in the desert staring at billions of stars will leave you astonished. Astonished is the adjective form of the verb astonish, which comes from old Anglo-Norman for a blow to the head. We use it now for much more positive feelings, when we are stunned by awe and admiration, and not stunned from being hit in the head with a bat! Synonyms are amazed and astounded.

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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.

Astonished Scots have captured a meteor streaking and burning brightly across the night sky.

From BBC • Jul. 3, 2025

Astonished by the revelation, Steel asked her son — who lives in London with his wife — to take some photos of the pin.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 19, 2024

Astonished, he stared at Trym, who was walking toward him.

From Slate • Dec. 24, 2022

Astonished and confused, the bullies quit — and walked away.

From Washington Post • May 15, 2019

Astonished fans and journalists gathered around them on the dock, peppering them with questions: Was the University of Washington in the District of Columbia?

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

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