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 -ish², perhaps reflecting unattested Anglo-French astonir, from dialectal Old French. See thunder

synonym study for astonish

See surprise.

OTHER WORDS FROM astonish

as·ton·ished·ly, adverbas·ton·ish·er, nounsu·per·as·ton·ish, verbun·as·ton·ished, adjective

How to use astonish in a sentence

He turns astonished tourist, as his camera sweeps up to the dome.
Inside the Capitol Riot: What the Parler Videos Reveal|by Alec MacGillis|January 17, 2021|ProPublica
Earl Stoddard, the county’s head of emergency management — who said he was “astonished” by the allocation — urged state officials to give the county of 1 million residents more doses.
Virginia, Maryland expand vaccine eligibility as Northam encourages schools to reopen|Gregory S. Schneider, Ovetta Wiggins, Erin Cox, Meagan Flynn|January 15, 2021|Washington Post
I’ve been lucky enough to taste hoshigaki in Japan, and as a new resident of Los Angeles, I am still astonished by the abundant persimmons growing freely in people’s backyards.
The Art of Hoshigaki at Home|Jamie Feldmar|January 7, 2021|Eater
Microbial ecologists were astonished to find cells inside basalt far under the ocean floor that have survived for perhaps more than 100 million years.
The Year in Biology|John Rennie|December 23, 2020|Quanta Magazine

It’s worth putting this in context because it’s as astonishing a stat as any women’s basketball player has put up in recent memory.
After Beating Cancer, This Syracuse Point Guard Is Coming For The Record Books|Howard Megdal|November 17, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
I was astonished by his work and very grateful that fate had thrown us together.
Robin Williams and Christopher Reeve's Epic Friendship and the Greatest Williams Story Ever Told|Marlow Stern|August 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That such a local issue had become national, even international, in scope astonished me.
Rebels Rise Again Over Flag Banning|Robert Khayat|July 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I was astonished at some of the figures you came up with, specifically about Jewish immigrants.
When New York City Hit Its Stride|Allen Barra|July 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Her indifference astonished Clark, who has been a cop for 29 years.
The Black Widow of Silicon Valley|Michael Daly|July 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
People were astonished by his impassioned speeches at separatist meetings.
The Kremlin’s Crazy Shock Troops|Oleg Shynkarenko|May 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Louis was not less astonished at this charge, than the Empress had been at the communication which aroused it.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
No; there I stood, half-astonished, half-abashed while the Marquise continued on her knees and made her silent orisons.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
He stared at his men, astonished and impatient at this strange disobedience.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
The eye admireth at the beauty of the whiteness thereof, and the heart is astonished at the shower thereof.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
I am always astonished, amazed and delighted afresh, and even as I listen I can hardly believe that the man can play so!
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay

British Dictionary definitions for astonish

astonish

/ (əˈstɒnɪʃ) /

verb

(tr) to fill with amazement; surprise greatly

Word Origin for astonish

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

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

astonish

OTHER WORDS FOR astonish

Origin of astonish

synonym study for astonish

OTHER WORDS FROM astonish

Words related to astonish

How to use astonish in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for astonish

Word Origin for astonish