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
The red-carpet looks which astonished us at recent Met Galas were worn for dramatic effect, but, quietly, vintage is being worn all the time, everywhere: a vintage bias slip with a 1970s Elsa Peretti Tiffany cuff, or a ’90s Helmut Lang heel, or, from now, Maison Margiela tabis.
—Amanda Harlech, Vogue, 24 Mar. 2025
Director Robert Hastie and choreographer Jenny Arnold keep the quintet of actors in such constant motion, rife with genre winks and references, that I was astonished not to see Ben Stones’s crisp, transformable base costumes of pinstripes, suspenders, and ties soaked clean through by the finale.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2025
My family immigrated to America from an authoritarian country, and some of my relatives and I are astonished and horrified that the same thing is befalling the US.
—Sigal Samuel, Vox, 6 Mar. 2025
Others may not have a strong opinion one way or the other, but are astonished at the level of day-to-day headline risk.
—Bob Pisani, CNBC, 5 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for astonish
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Amanda Harlech, Vogue, 24 Mar. 2025
Director Robert Hastie and choreographer Jenny Arnold keep the quintet of actors in such constant motion, rife with genre winks and references, that I was astonished not to see Ben Stones’s crisp, transformable base costumes of pinstripes, suspenders, and ties soaked clean through by the finale.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 20 Mar. 2025
My family immigrated to America from an authoritarian country, and some of my relatives and I are astonished and horrified that the same thing is befalling the US.
—Sigal Samuel, Vox, 6 Mar. 2025
Others may not have a strong opinion one way or the other, but are astonished at the level of day-to-day headline risk.
—Bob Pisani, CNBC, 5 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 8 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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