astonished

adjective

as·​ton·​ished ə-ˈstä-nisht 

: feeling or showing great surprise or wonder : astounded, amazed

… she awoke the next day astonished to find that she suffered no ill effects.

—Jean T. Barrett

heard the news with an astonished smile

Synonyms of astonished

• amazed
• stunned
• shocked
• surprised
• horrified

Examples of astonished in a Sentence

was astonished at seeing a cow wandering down Main Street

grandparents astonished at how much their grandchildren had grown in the past year

Recent Examples on the Web

And so did a few astonished gasps when a drone shot revealed just how far outside of the Mojave tent her crowd of headbanging bodies stretched. —Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 17 Apr. 2026

One that draws more approving thumbs-ups, creates more astonished grins, or pulls more phones from pockets for impromptu photographs and video—especially in stunning Verde Ermes metallic paint. —Michael Harley, Forbes.com, 19 Jan. 2026

Live, the 11-year-old actor shared his astonished reaction to getting the note. —Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Dec. 2025

After another four strikeouts on the mound, Ohtani hit his third home run of the night in the seventh inning, traveling 427 feet into the stands full of astonished Dodgers fans. —Gabe Smallson, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of astonish

First Known Use

1716, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for astonished

• admonished