Thesaurus results for ASTONISH

Q: How does the verb 'astonish' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of astonish are amaze , astound , flabbergast , and surprise . While all these words mean "to impress forcibly through unexpectedness," astonish implies surprising so greatly as to seem incredible. // a discovery that astonished the world

Q: When is 'amaze' a more appropriate choice than 'astonish'?

While the synonyms amaze and astonish are close in meaning, amaze suggests an effect of bewilderment. // amazed by the immense size of the place

Q: When is it sensible to use 'astound' instead of 'astonish'?

While in some cases nearly identical to astonish , astound stresses the shock of astonishment. // too astounded to respond

Q: Where would 'flabbergast' be a reasonable alternative to 'astonish'?

In some situations, the words flabbergast and astonish are roughly equivalent. However, flabbergast may suggest thorough astonishment and bewilderment or dismay. // flabbergasted by his angry refusal

Q: In what contexts can 'surprise' take the place of 'astonish'?

The meanings of surprise and astonish largely overlap; however, surprise stresses causing an effect through being unexpected but not necessarily unusual or novel. // surprised to find them at home

astonish

verb

ə-ˈstä-nish

Definition of astonish next

as in to amaze

to make a strong impression on (someone) with something unexpected the news that you and she broke up absolutely astonishes me

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How does the verb astonish contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of astonish are amaze, astound, flabbergast, and surprise. While all these words mean "to impress forcibly through unexpectedness," astonish implies surprising so greatly as to seem incredible.

a discovery that astonished the world

When is amaze a more appropriate choice than astonish?

While the synonyms amaze and astonish are close in meaning, amaze suggests an effect of bewilderment.

amazed by the immense size of the place

When is it sensible to use astound instead of astonish?

While in some cases nearly identical to astonish, astound stresses the shock of astonishment.

too astounded to respond

Where would flabbergast be a reasonable alternative to astonish?

In some situations, the words flabbergast and astonish are roughly equivalent. However, flabbergast may suggest thorough astonishment and bewilderment or dismay.

flabbergasted by his angry refusal

In what contexts can surprise take the place of astonish?

The meanings of surprise and astonish largely overlap; however, surprise stresses causing an effect through being unexpected but not necessarily unusual or novel.

surprised to find them at home

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of astonish In 2014, for instance, one researcher was astonished to watch a single sea otter devour roughly 30 European green crabs in an hour, per the Washington Post. —

Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Dec. 2024 What Do TikTok Users Think? After the clip of the Christmas tree being raised from the basement went viral, the feat of engineering certainly astonished millions of internet users. —

Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024 Despite this, Richards' wins continue to astonish the Scrabble community, with his matches studied in YouTube videos viewed by tens of thousands. —

Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024 Their swift move into the capital astonished citizens and the rest of the world. —

Antoinette Radford, CNN, 9 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for astonish

Recent Examples of Synonyms for astonish

Verb

Costco continues to amaze both with price and with entertainment and all my Costco’s are a blast to shop at.

— Jim Cramer, CNBC, 23 Jan. 2025
Instead, the boy was creating short films using action figures, adding voice-over narration, and displaying a level of creativity that amazed his mother.

— J.M. Banks, Kansas City Star, 17 Jan. 2025