astonish
[ uh-ston-ish ]
/ əˈstɒn ɪʃ /
Save This Word!
verb (used with object)
to fill with sudden and overpowering surprise or wonder; amaze: Her easy humor and keen intellect astonished me.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON “ITS” VS. “IT’S”!
Apostrophes can be tricky; prove you know the difference between it’s and its in this crafty quiz!
Question 1 of 12
On the farm, the feed for chicks is significantly different from the roosters’; ______ not even comparable.
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 -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, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for astonish
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