Astonishing

Astonishing
Astonish As*ton"ish, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Astonished}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Astonishing}.] [OE. astonien, astunian, astonen, OF. estoner, F. ['e]tonner, 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.] [1913 Webster]

Enough, captain; you have astonished him. [Fluellen had struck Pistol]. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

The very cramp-fish [i. e., torpedo] . . . being herself not benumbed, is able to astonish others. --Holland. [1913 Webster]

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. [1913 Webster]

Musidorus . . . had his wits astonished with sorrow. --Sidney. [1913 Webster]

I, Daniel . . . was astonished at the vision. --Dan. viii. 27. [1913 Webster]

Syn: To amaze; astound; overwhelm; surprise.

Usage: {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}. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Astonishing — As*ton ish*ing, a. Very wonderful; of a nature to excite astonishment; as, an astonishing event. [1913 Webster] Syn: Amazing; surprising; wonderful; marvelous. [1913 Webster] {As*ton ish*ing*ly}, adv. {As*ton ish*ing*ness}, n. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • astonishing — index moving (evoking emotion), notable, noteworthy, peculiar (curious), portentous (eliciting amazement), prodigious (amazing) …   Law dictionary

  • astonishing — [adj] surprising amazing, astounding, bewildering, breathtaking, extraordinary, impressive, marvelous, miraculous, spectacular, staggering, startling, striking, stunning, stupefying, stupendous, wonderful, wondrous; concepts 547,572 Ant. boring,… …   New thesaurus

  • astonishing — adj. 1) astonishing to 2) astonishing to + inf. (it was astonishing to watch them perform) 3) astonishing that + clause (it was astonishing to everyone that the court had made such a decision) * * * [ə stɒnɪʃɪŋ] astonishing to astonishing that +… …   Combinatory dictionary

  • astonishing — [[t]əstɒ̱nɪʃɪŋ[/t]] ADJ GRADED Something that is astonishing is very surprising. It s astonishing, he s learned Latin in three hours! ...an astonishing display of physical strength. Syn: amazing Derived words: astonishingly ADV GRADED ADV adj/adv …   English dictionary

  • astonishing — astonishingly, adv. astonishingness, n. /euh ston i shing/, adj. causing astonishment or surprise; amazing: an astonishing victory; an astonishing remark. [1520 30; ASTONISH + ING2] * * * …   Universalium

  • astonishing — adj. VERBS ▪ be, seem ▪ find sth ▪ I find his attitude absolutely astonishing. ADVERB ▪ really, truly …   Collocations dictionary

  • astonishing — as|ton|ish|ing [əˈstɔnıʃıŋ US əˈsta: ] adj so surprising that it is difficult to believe = ↑amazing ▪ an astonishing decision ▪ their astonishing success >astonishingly adv ▪ an astonishingly good voice …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • astonishing — a|ston|ish|ing [ ə stanıʃıŋ ] adjective * very surprising: He was eating his food with astonishing speed. It s astonishing how much the place has changed. ╾ a|ston|ish|ing|ly adverb …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • astonishing */ — UK [əˈstɒnɪʃɪŋ] / US [əˈstɑnɪʃɪŋ] adjective very surprising He was eating his food with astonishing speed. It s astonishing how much the place has changed. Derived word: astonishingly UK / US adverb …   English dictionary

  • astonishing — adjective 1. surprising greatly (Freq. 4) she does an amazing amount of work the dog was capable of astonishing tricks • Syn: ↑amazing • Similar to: ↑surprising 2. so surprisingly impressive as to stun or overwhelm …   Useful english dictionary

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