ASTONISH

amaze, astonish, astound

(verb) affect with wonder; “Your ability to speak six languages amazes me!”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Verb

astonish (third-person singular simple present astonishes, present participle astonishing, simple past and past participle astonished)

To surprise greatly.

Synonyms

• (to surprise): astound, flabbergast, surprise

Source: Wiktionary


As*ton"ish, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Astonished; p. pr. & vb. n. Astonishing.] Etym: [OE. astonien, astunian, astonen, OF. estoner, F. étonner, fr. L. ex out + tonare to thunder, but perhaps influenced by E. stun. See Thunder, Astound, Astony.]

1. To stun; to render senseless, as by a blow. [Obs.] Enough, captain; you have astonished him. [Fluellen had struck Pistol]. Shak. The very cramp-fish [i. e., torpedo] . . . being herself not benumbed, is able to astonish others. Holland.

2. To strike with sudden fear, terror, or wonder; to amaze; to surprise greatly, as with something unaccountable; to confound with some sudden emotion or passion. Musidorus . . . had his wits astonished with sorrow. Sidney. I, Daniel . . . was astonished at the vision. Dan. viii. 27.

Syn.

– To amaze; astound; overwhelm; surprise.

– Astonished, Surprised. We are surprised at what is unexpected. We are astonished at what is above or beyond our comprehension. We are taken by surprise. We are struck with astonishment. C. J. Smith. See Amaze.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

2 June 2025

FOOTING

(noun) status with respect to the relations between people or groups; “on good terms with her in-laws”; “on a friendly footing”


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Coffee Trivia

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