astonishing

1 of 2

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

astonishing

2 of 2

present participle of astonish

Synonyms of astonishing

Adjective

• surprising
• startling
• amazing
• stunning
• shocking

Examples of astonishing in a Sentence

Adjective

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

Adjective

Beyond attempting to smooth the industry’s many ruffled feathers, Hollywood’s newest mogul must now also wrestle down an astonishing $80 billion in debt accrued as a result of this highly leveraged merger. — Stacy Perman, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026

Even disappointing results will likely be astonishing, meaning a pullback is unlikely to be severe. — Michael Khouw, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2026

That’s not to say anything of the sort is guaranteed soon — single events are never guaranteed this far out — but there are reasons to take this El Niño seriously thanks to just how astonishing some of the numbers are. — Sean MacAday, Sacbee.com, 27 Sep. 2026

Doing so three consecutive games would be astonishing, but the sportsbooks don’t necessarily put it past them. — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 27 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

from present participle of astonish

First Known Use

Adjective

1593, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for astonishing

• admonishing