astonish

[uh-ston-ish]

verb (used with object)

1. to fill with sudden and overpowering surprise or wonder; amaze.

   Her easy humor and keen intellect astonished me.

   Synonyms: shock, startle, astound

astonish

/ əˈstɒnɪʃ /

verb

1. (tr) to fill with amazement; surprise greatly

Other Word Forms

• astonisher noun
• superastonish verb

Word History and Origins

Origin of astonish¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of astonish¹

C15: from earlier astonyen (see _astonied ), from Old French estoner, from Vulgar Latin extonāre (unattested) to strike with thunder, from Latin tonāre to thunder

Synonym Study

See surprise.

Example Sentences

They say they are astonished by his progress in recent months.

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England crumbled to an astonishing two-day defeat in the first Test on Saturday and now have 12 days until the second Test in Brisbane.

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An explosive opening day of searing pace saw an astonishing 19 wickets tumble.

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Near the end an astonishing firework display in the Marseille section almost saw the match abandoned.

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What’s most astonishing about Lilly’s recent performance is that it isn’t the result of any one trial outcome, or positive earnings report.

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Related Words

• amaze 
• astound 
• bewilder 
• boggle 
• confound 
• daze 
• dumbfound 
• flabbergast 
• overwhelm 
• shock 
• startle 
• stun 
• stupefy