astonish
verb
as·ton·ish
ə-ˈstä-nish 
astonished; astonishing; astonishes
1
: to strike with sudden and usually great wonder or surprise
He was too astonished to speak
They were astonished by the vastness and majesty of the cathedral.
In retrospect, it astonishes me that we avoided a major quarrel for so long.—
Christopher Hitchens
Christopher Hitchens2
obsolete
: to strike with sudden fear
Examples of astonish in a Sentence
Despite the hype, there was nothing in the book to astonish readers.
The garden's beauty never fails to astonish.
Recent Examples on the Web
They too would have been astonished by its subtle yet pleasant effects and its practical use.
—Wade Davis, Rolling Stone, 6 Apr. 2025
Former and current military fighter pilots were astonished that the Secretary of Defense texted details of the classified attack plan.
—Rick Pozniak, Boston Herald, 1 Apr. 2025
When astronomers examined the spectrum of Van Maanen 2 on one of these plates, they were astonished to see spectral features usually associated with much more massive stars—namely, a strong calcium absorption line in the star’s atmosphere.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 28 Mar. 2025
Shauna is astonished to find out that Melissa lives there — that white baseball cap is doing a lot of work on Hilary Swank’s talented head — and the two sit down for a tête-à-tête for the ages.
—Erin Qualey, Vulture, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for astonish
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Wade Davis, Rolling Stone, 6 Apr. 2025
Former and current military fighter pilots were astonished that the Secretary of Defense texted details of the classified attack plan.
—Rick Pozniak, Boston Herald, 1 Apr. 2025
When astronomers examined the spectrum of Van Maanen 2 on one of these plates, they were astonished to see spectral features usually associated with much more massive stars—namely, a strong calcium absorption line in the star’s atmosphere.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 28 Mar. 2025
Shauna is astonished to find out that Melissa lives there — that white baseball cap is doing a lot of work on Hilary Swank’s talented head — and the two sit down for a tête-à-tête for the ages.
—Erin Qualey, Vulture, 28 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for astonish
Cite this Entry
“Astonish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/astonish. Accessed 17 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
astonish
verb
as·ton·ish
ə-ˈstän-ish
: to strike with sudden wonder or surprise
astonishingly
adverb
-iŋ-lē
astonishment
noun
-mənt
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