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.
It has also given the world a taste of what hacking might look like in the age of powerful AI tools that can find never-before-seen software bugs and exploit them at astonishing speeds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
In fact, in the last five years, Spain have now won an astonishing 16 world and European titles from under-17 to senior level.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
What looked like a casual swing of Erling Haaland's left boot was in fact a perfectly placed finish with astonishing power to crown a match-winning performance for Norway against Brazil in the last 16.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Since then, they have spread into an astonishing range of habitats and lifestyles.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026
None more so than Ira: the transformation in her was as astonishing as it was inexplicable.
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
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.
