1
as in amazed
affected with sudden and great wonder or surprise
was astonished at seeing a cow wandering down Main Street
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wondering
filled with amazement or wonder
grandparents astonished at how much their grandchildren had grown in the past year
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in surprised
to make a strong impression on (someone) with something unexpected
the news that you and she broke up absolutely astonishes me
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of astonished
Gabe Smallson, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
Under Kidman's Practical Magic 2 post, fans in the comments expressed excitement about the forthcoming sequel to the witchy cult classic — which was based on the 1995 Alice Hoffman novel of the same name — while others seemed astonished that filming for the movie has already finished.
—Nigel Smith, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
The news, revealed in court filings last week, astonished environmental lawyers, who were already shocked after the Department of the Interior announced two weeks ago that a meeting to discuss an exemption would take place on March 31.
—Chiara Eisner, NPR, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for astonished
Adjective
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
Under Kidman's Practical Magic 2 post, fans in the comments expressed excitement about the forthcoming sequel to the witchy cult classic — which was based on the 1995 Alice Hoffman novel of the same name — while others seemed astonished that filming for the movie has already finished.
—Nigel Smith, PEOPLE, 29 Sep. 2025
Verb
So he was astonished when Megson informed him he was being released.
—Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
The news, revealed in court filings last week, astonished environmental lawyers, who were already shocked after the Department of the Interior announced two weeks ago that a meeting to discuss an exemption would take place on March 31.
—Chiara Eisner, NPR, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for astonished
Recent Examples of Synonyms for astonished
Adjective
-
Williams was amazed by the results.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
27 May 2026
-
The 6 million would be amazed just at the existence of the state of Israel.—
Samuel S. Flax,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 May 2026
Verb
-
Those were the circumstances under which my mother surprised me with one additional detail about her long-ago time in Paris.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
-
Golden State coach Natalie Nakase, who watched Leite bring a spark off the Valkyries bench last season, has not been surprised by Leite’s sophomore year jump.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
Before long, security surrounded the former fan favorite and dragged him out of the arena in handcuffs as stunned fans watched.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
4 June 2026
-
In 2019, when Cattelan unveiled the work at the Art Basel Miami art fair in Florida, performance artist David Datuna grabbed the banana from the wall, before peeling and eating it in front of hundreds of stunned fair attendees.—
Jack Guy,
CNN Money,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
Karl-Anthony Towns, who was on the podium with him, took off his glasses and looked at his teammate with a bewildered expression.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
22 May 2026
-
Everyone was so relieved to see how bewildered everyone else was that the feeling in this place was almost festive.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
That shocked George, who the next year approved Parliament’s acts designed to rein in Massachusetts’ ability to govern itself.—
Laurie Kellman,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
-
That shocked George, who the next year approved Parliament's acts designed to rein in Massachusetts' ability to govern itself.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
As a horrified Sam inadvertently observes, a creature has been sating itself on his buddy’s brain.—
Graham Hillard,
The Washington Examiner,
31 May 2026
-
As his tricks progressed, the Young Man felt horrified and confused at the same time.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
The blast in Indonesia's restive eastern Papua region startled locals with a thunderous boom on Sunday afternoon, emitting a ball of flames followed by a thick smoke column, according to footage broadcast on Kompas TV.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
-
The scale of what is emerging in China’s northwestern desert has left even seasoned analysts startled.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Astonished.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/astonished. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
