as in amazes
to make a strong impression on (someone) with something unexpected
the news that you and she broke up absolutely astonishes me
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Recent Examples of astonishes
More than 42,000 of those pieces were found over just the past eight years of excavation, a pace that astonishes even the researchers leading the work.
—
Ryan Brennan
april 1, Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 2026
His work astonishes and moves people far beyond the fashion bubble to this day.
—Wwd Staff, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2025
Ryan Brennan
april 1, Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 2026
His work astonishes and moves people far beyond the fashion bubble to this day.
—Wwd Staff, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for astonishes
Verb
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The second thing that strikes me more and actually amazes me is the fact that this is a story, a trope, that is repeated in most of the presentation of Agnes Pockels.—
Mariel Carr,
Scientific American,
20 Mar. 2026
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Eva’s romance with her husband, Franklin Plaskett, delights and amazes her.—
Adelle Waldman,
The Atlantic,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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South Carolina stuns undefeated UConn 62-48, snapping the Huskies’ 54-game winning streak and advancing to the women’s NCAA championship game.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Apr. 2026
-
This trail stuns in either direction, but beginning at Clark Forks cuts elevation gain by nearly 2,000 feet.—
Madison Chapman,
Outside,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Your Skin Benefits Too This one surprises people, but the research backs it up.—
Allison Palmer,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Tulsa responded with a level of generosity that still surprises him.—
Jimmy Jellinek,
SPIN,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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If hypotheticals about what could have been are a good dream for New York Knicks fans, then Mikal Bridges is the alarm clock that startles them awake.—
James L. Edwards III,
New York Times,
2 Mar. 2026
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The project, which Steinberger has rebranded multiple times—evolving from Clawdbot to Moltbot and finally to OpenClaw—largely owing to politics—has expanded at a pace that startles even seasoned AI experts.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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His statement threatening to eradicate an entire civilization shocks the conscience and requires a decisive congressional response.—
Eric McDaniel,
NPR,
7 Apr. 2026
-
Nolan’s loss to an unknown rookie shocks everyone.—
Ashlee Conour,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Astonishes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/astonishes. Accessed 14 Apr. 2026.
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