- present participle of astonish.
astonishing
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of astonishing
Explanation
Something astonishing is astounding, staggering, stupefying, amazing, or incredible. It's not something you see every day. This is a pretty strong word. A dog shaking hands is not astonishing, but a dog calling 911 for its owner definitely is. Astonishing things are amazing; they blow your mind. When people first walked on the moon, that was astonishing. Miracles are astonishing. If you say, "Holy cow! I can't believe what I'm seeing," you're probably seeing something astonishing.
Vocabulary lists containing astonishing
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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Nothing But the Truth
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Copper Sun
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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.
They were painstakingly close to achieving one of the tournament's great upsets against Argentina, leading 2-0 with just minutes left to play before the defending champions staged an astonishing 3-2 comeback win.
From Barron's • Jul. 10, 2026
The highest temperature recorded in the UK was during the unprecedented heatwave of 2022, when an astonishing 40.3C was recorded in Coningsby, Lincolnshire.
From BBC • Jul. 9, 2026
It has been 68 years since a French striker named Just Fontaine carved his name into World Cup history by scoring an astonishing 13 goals at the 1958 tournament.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 9, 2026
The 90/10 portfolio, including 10% energy, has earned you 48%, an astonishing 11 percentage points more.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 8, 2026
He achieved such astonishing speed records that he was promoted to superintendent, and then went into the contracting business for himself, building bridges, canals, industrial towns, and factories.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
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.
