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

Meloni is astonished and defiant Trump’s posturing underscored how his alliance with Meloni — who has long been seen as one of his closest friends in Europe — has frayed over his war in Iran, his tariffs against Europe and his complaints when anyone disagrees with him. — Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026

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

Word History

Etymology

from past participle of astonish

First Known Use

1716, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for astonished

• admonished