astonish
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Synonym Usage
See surprise.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
astonishsimple
-
astonishessimple
-
have astonishedperfect
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has astonishedperfect
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am astonishingprogressive
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are astonishingprogressive
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is astonishingprogressive
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have been astonishingperfect progressive
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has been astonishingperfect progressive
Past
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astonishedsimple
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had astonishedperfect
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was astonishingprogressive
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were astonishingprogressive
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had been astonishingperfect progressive
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.
See Examples For:
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
Bouden added that “I have a lot of hope that Tunisia is going to get better and better, and it will accomplish things that will probably astonish you in the coming months.”
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 19, 2023
Such arguments astonish educators who have found ways to accelerate children successfully.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 16, 2022
There was nothing in all this either to astonish or interest, and it caught Emma’s attention only as it united with the subject which already engaged her mind.
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
Not particularly exhausted either, which always astonishes me.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026
What always astonishes me about your letters is their length My God, their length!
From Salon ● Feb. 9, 2025
"Even today, the story of my father and my mother, while giving me much pain, astonishes me still," Blouin said.
From BBC ● Jan. 6, 2025
The architectural wonder of writer-director Brady Corbet’s 215-minute postwar immigrant epic “The Brutalist” astonishes onscreen.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 26, 2024
Knowing that they'll grow older as time passes, they'll become old the way Gramps was, with gray hair and a tremble in his step, so much love still in their hearts—this astonishes me.
From "We Are Okay" by Nina LaCour
The coaches were astonished at how quickly he picked up the playbook.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
He said in a statement that he had been "astonished that such an important story had largely faded from public memory".
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
You can see Salonen, who gave Josefowicz the support to be brazen, mouth to her astonished wows!
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
Lead study author Xiaotong Peng of the Chinese Academy of Sciences told AFP that the researchers were "astonished" when the scale of their discovery became clear.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026
They were so astonished and so pleased that they just stood looking at their candies.
From "Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Baroque artist from Seville painted scenes of monastic stillness in astonishing detail.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Argentina was fortunate to reach the final, but Messi got them there with astonishing drama, and a whole new generation was exposed to his vision and greatness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Since then, they have spread into an astonishing range of habitats and lifestyles.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026
There was further praise for the "staggering" set pieces from the Standard's Nick Howells, external, who said The Odyssey was a "far more astonishing experience" than Oppenheimer.
From BBC ● Jul. 15, 2026
The animals open their mouths and utter joyful, astonishing words.
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.
