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 of astonishing

• surprising
• startling
• amazing
• stunning
• shocking

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

The admission was astonishing after his defense team had spent years diligently defending him against the charges. — Emily Smith, CNN Money, 28 July 2026

Ukraine has built a defense sector at an astonishing speed and emerged as a global player in military innovation. — Thomas Nagorski, Time, 27 July 2026

Mathieu van der Poel pulled off one of the most astonishing victories of his career on Sunday, holding off the peloton on the Champs-Élysées to win stage 21 of the Tour de France. — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 26 July 2026

Kelly makes frequent cracks about the astonishing sequence of events that landed him in his current peacocking profession. — Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 20 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of astonish

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for astonishing

• admonishing