astonish
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Related 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.
The economy was getting dragged along, as well, with GDP growth over the three months ending in October pegged at an astonishing 4.3%.
From Barron's
What was astonishing was just how quickly it unraveled.
The other critical source of U.S. growth this year has been an astonishing increase in corporate spending on artificial intelligence — to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars.
From MarketWatch
The other critical source of U.S. growth this year has been an astonishing increase in corporate spending on artificial intelligence — to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars.
From MarketWatch
Williams picked off jets in a tussle that lasted more than 30 minutes—an astonishing duration, given that dogfights tend to be measured in seconds.
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.
