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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of astonish
Truffaut had astonished the 1959 Cannes Film Festival with The 400 Blows, as had Alain Resnais with the monumental Hiroshima Mon Amour.
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Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 4 Dec. 2025
In her work, Warner has dispelled myths such as the one that indigenous people, astonished by modern technologies, believed that cameras stole their souls.
—David Wingrave, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
He was astonished and renewed by that quiet.
—Stephen Trimble, Denver Post, 20 Oct. 2025
However, once the remains of a massive circular stone foundation came to light, over 29 feet wide, archaeologists were admittedly astonished.
—Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 19 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for astonish
Recent Examples of Synonyms for astonish
Verb
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An artist who never fails to amaze me.—
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The universe amazed me yet again.—
Verb
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But no one was surprised by the play in the Panthers’ locker room, even after Scott’s struggles in 2024.—
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While each deposit may seem small, this money can snowball over time and surprise you.—
Verb
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So we were stunned to read about how Sean Harden, chair of the Chicago Board of Education as duly appointed by Mayor Brandon Johnson, reportedly had launched two internal investigations into how that board’s super-secret business got into the hands of reporters.—
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Others were stunned by individual line items.—
Verb
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An injury to Jordan Cox, who had been due to keep wicket, saw a reshuffle and a decision that shocked everyone.—
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On Tuesday night, the football program was shocked to see on social media that Williams had announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal.—
Verb
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Jamie, the dog-sitter, is startled that Pam is back so soon.—
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Hauge called that startling, given that court filing fees alone cost just as much.—
Cite this Entry
“Astonish.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/astonish. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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