astonishing

adjective

as·​ton·​ish·​ing ə-ˈstä-ni-shiŋ 

: causing a feeling of great surprise or wonder : surprising

an astonishing discovery

astonishingly

ə-ˈstä-ni-shiŋ-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• amazing
• astounding
• blindsiding
• dumbfounding
• dumfounding
• eye-opening
• flabbergasting
• jarring
• jaw-dropping
• jolting
• shocking
• startling
• stunning
• stupefying
• surprising

Examples of astonishing in a Sentence

He showed an astonishing lack of concern for others.

The truck can hold an astonishing amount of stuff.

She gave an astonishing performance in her first film.

Recent Examples on the Web

Yet the slow force of small change really does alter Saturn’s rings, and what looks like an astonishing, radical amputation may turn out to be the trick of an angle and a passing happenstance of positioning. —Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2024

Channel 4’s long-running Countdown quiz has crowned its first female champion in an astonishing 26 years. —Caroline Frost, Deadline, 21 Dec. 2024

Latina Direct Healthcare Workers The Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute says that the number of direct Latina healthcare workers grew by an astonishing 78% between 2005 and 2015 and continues to grow. —Noreen Sugrue, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024

Yet another astonishing year for Swift reverberated beyond the honorifics. —Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 19 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of astonish

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined above