astonishing

adjective

as·​ton·​ish·​ing ə-ˈstä-ni-shiŋ How to pronounce astonishing (audio)
: causing a feeling of great surprise or wonder : surprising
an astonishing discovery
astonishingly adverb

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 Tornado watches stretched an astonishing 1,024 miles continuously from Graham, Tex., to Sandusky, Ohio, on Thursday evening. Scott Dance, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 In an astonishing cosmic cycle that occurs every 2.4 million years, Mars’ gravitational pull is shifting Earth’s path around the sun, warming its climate and increasing vigorous deep ocean circulation, according to a new study published this week in the journal Nature Communications. Catherine Duncan, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Mar. 2024 The astonishing rise of general purpose AI models, exemplified by OpenAI’s ChatGPT, sent EU policymakers scrambling to keep up. Kelvin Chan, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2024 The research, published in 2014 in The Journal of Palliative Medicine, found that visions are far more common and frequent than other researchers had found, with an astonishing 88 percent of patients reporting at least one vision. Phoebe Zerwick, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2024 The original film’s astonishing underwater photography certainly contributes to its appeal, but the oddly human Gill-man is the real draw. Katie Rife, EW.com, 12 Mar. 2024 Add on the no-cost optional Weissach pack, and that number drops to an astonishing 2.1 seconds. Tim Stevens, Robb Report, 11 Mar. 2024 That every band and crew member survived is astonishing, because little else did. Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 29 Feb. 2024 Riddle me this: Why have increases in food prices been in line with inflation from the 1980s until the Biden administration took over? Food prices increased by 11.4 percent in 2022, an astonishing jump that inflicted deep harm on the budgets of millions of families. Robert H. Bork Jr., National Review, 4 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'astonishing.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

from present participle of astonish

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of astonishing was in 1593

Dictionary Entries Near astonishing

Cite this Entry

“Astonishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/astonishing. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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