astonishing
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- astonishingly adverb
- astonishingness noun
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.
The astonishing results capped a decade of technological and training innovation that has pushed the sport into uncharted territory over road racing’s most iconic distance.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 26, 2026
Overhead, the skies belonged to insects, some of which reached astonishing sizes.
From Science Daily • Apr. 25, 2026
This astonishing rally has caused a number of technical indicators to flash red.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 24, 2026
A few days ago came the astonishing news that the world record in the half-marathon was obliterated by a 5-foot-5 humanoid robot named Lightning in Beijing.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 23, 2026
There could be no end to the questions, but the sketch outlines of answers were beginning to appear, and they were astonishing.
From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor
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.
