- present participle of astonish.
astonishing
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of astonishing
Explanation
Something astonishing is astounding, staggering, stupefying, amazing, or incredible. It's not something you see every day. This is a pretty strong word. A dog shaking hands is not astonishing, but a dog calling 911 for its owner definitely is. Astonishing things are amazing; they blow your mind. When people first walked on the moon, that was astonishing. Miracles are astonishing. If you say, "Holy cow! I can't believe what I'm seeing," you're probably seeing something astonishing.
Vocabulary lists containing astonishing
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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Nothing But the Truth
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Copper Sun
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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.
To onlookers, it was astonishing seeing a schoolgirl in a headband outwit adults who had been competing at top-flight events since before she was born.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
"Believe you me, that time of 1:53.28 is astonishing," Jenny Meadows, former British runner and coach to Hodgkinson, told BBC Sport.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
“Everything I do these days I want to do with an excellent script, and you can play from there — and this was an astonishing script,” Root says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
The What’s Resonating newsletter laid out the astonishing levels of media coordination on the day of the committee hearing:
From Salon ● Aug. 10, 2026
This astonishing show of might among the Allies is the beginning of the end for Germany and Japan, though a year will pass before there are any more surrenders.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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.
