astonished
Americanadjective
verb
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.
Vocabulary lists containing astonished
Emotions on Display
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In the Mood? 100 Words to Describe Emotions
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ACT Reading Test: Words to Capture Tone, List 2
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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.
FIFA’s insistence that the judiciary body that made the decision was independent did nothing to assuage Belgium’s soccer federation, which said it was astonished by the move.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 10, 2026
"I did have anxieties that, oh, we're going to have to charge all the time but my experience in the last five months I've been astonished at how easy it is."
From BBC • Jun. 23, 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
She said she was astonished by what has been built in less than three years: "new hospitals, schools, mosques and a stadium".
From Barron's • Jun. 6, 2026
The heart was thrilled, the mind astonished, by the power of the preacher: neither were softened.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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.
