- 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.
Brook's astonishing hitting took him past the previous England best of 182 made by Ben Stokes against New Zealand at The Oval in 2023.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
First, the astonishing magnitude of Medicaid and other fraud uncovered by federal prosecutions over the past four years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
The effect is astonishing; it is also unsettling.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026
After more than two centuries of astonishing American growth, this mostly forgotten act completed the nation’s current borders.
From Salon ● Oct. 13, 2026
This was an astonishing leap into the unknown.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
