astonished
Americanadjective
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of astonished
First recorded in 1510–20, for an earlier sense; astonish + -ed 2 ( def. ) for the adjective sense; astonish + -ed 1 ( def. ) for the verb sense
Explanation
If you are astonished, you're feeling the emotional punch of a huge surprise. If you've lived in the city your whole life, the first night you spend in the desert staring at billions of stars will leave you astonished. Astonished is the adjective form of the verb astonish, which comes from old Anglo-Norman for a blow to the head. We use it now for much more positive feelings, when we are stunned by awe and admiration, and not stunned from being hit in the head with a bat! Synonyms are amazed and astounded.
Vocabulary lists containing astonished
Emotions on Display
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In the Mood? 100 Words to Describe Emotions
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ACT Reading Test: Words to Capture Tone, List 2
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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 coaches were astonished at how quickly he picked up the playbook.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
The Royal Belgian Football Association said it was "astonished" and stressed it was "investigating all potential options".
From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026
You can see Salonen, who gave Josefowicz the support to be brazen, mouth to her astonished wows!
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
"If we found out there were aliens, I'd hope people were astonished, humbled and awestruck by it," she told the BBC.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
They were so astonished and so pleased that they just stood looking at their candies.
From "Little House in the Big Woods" by Laura Ingalls Wilder
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.
