astound

1 of 2

verb

as·​tound ə-ˈstau̇nd 

astounded; astounding; astounds

transitive verb

: to fill with bewilderment or wonder

The unusual surgical techniques illustrated … will astound even the most bemused readers.

—Alan T. Marty

astound

2 of 2

adjective

archaic

: overwhelmed with astonishment or amazement : astounded

Synonyms

Verb

• amaze
• astonish
• bowl over
• dumbfound
• dumfound
• flabbergast
• floor
• rock
• shock
• startle
• stun
• stupefy
• surprise
• surprize
• thunderstrike

Choose the Right Synonym for astound

surprise, astonish, astound, amaze, flabbergast mean to impress forcibly through unexpectedness.

surprise stresses causing an effect through being unexpected but not necessarily unusual or novel.

surprised to find them at home

astonish implies surprising so greatly as to seem incredible.

a discovery that astonished the world

astound stresses the shock of astonishment.

too astounded to respond

amaze suggests an effect of bewilderment.

amazed by the immense size of the place

flabbergast may suggest thorough astonishment and bewilderment or dismay.

flabbergasted by his angry refusal

Examples of astound in a Sentence

Verb

The magician will astound you with his latest tricks.

What astounds me is that they never apologized.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

What the Rohs find on their travels — elevators, indoor plumbing, flat-screen TVs and Americans who are friendly rather than murderous — astounds them. —Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 1 Nov. 2023

The success astounded American officials with experience in the region. —Eric Schmitt, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2023

Be ready to be astounded by the extraordinary potency of this top-shelf cannabis, which delivers a euphoric high that is completely legal. —Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Sep. 2023

Kansas City’s one-year contract that ended All-Pro DL Chris Jones’ left one former NFL exec and agent astounded How long the Chiefs can keep this up is a mystery, but the AFC’s Dynasty on the Plains continue to pose large problems for NFL rivals. —Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Sep. 2023

Even with the glitches, using a chatbot still astounds most people who manage to put in perfect prompts to get wildly in-depth instant answers. —Kurt Knutsson, Fox News, 15 Sep. 2023

Be prepared to be astounded by the euphoric high this top shelf cannabis generates because to its higher potency, which is entirely legal. —Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 6 Sep. 2023

The latter astounded the Osbournes with her knowledge of true crime. —Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2023

Over the past few years, people who pay attention to research on artificial intelligence have been astounded by the pace of developments, both the rapid gains in AI’s capabilities and the accumulating risks and dark sides. —IEEE Spectrum, 23 Aug. 2023

Adjective

After all that food, this nest of noodles in a tendon-dashi broth still manages to astound. —Elazar Sontag, Bon Appétit, 13 Sep. 2023

Honda versus Toyota is an obvious matchup, with our range-topping contenders offering many of the same safety and convenience features, similar storage space, and standard all-wheel drive, wrapped up in blunt-nosed boxy designs that will neither offend nor astound. —Elana Scherr, Car and Driver, 30 Aug. 2023

And the show only gets better with each passing episode, finding a balance in tone and thematic material while also continuing to astound viewers with impressive visuals. —Robert English, EW.com, 18 Apr. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Verb

probably in part derivative of astound entry 2, in part back-formation from astounded (Middle English astondid, attested once), doubled past participle of astonen, astonien "to stun, daze, surprise" — more at astonish

Adjective

Middle English astoned, past participle of astonen "to stun, daze, surprise" — more at astonish

First Known Use

Verb

1592, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

astound

verb

as·​tound

ə-ˈstau̇nd

: to fill with puzzled wonder