1
as in surprising
causing a strong emotional reaction because of unexpectedness
gave us the astonishing news she was getting married
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in amazing
causing wonder or astonishment
an astonishing view of the Grand Canyon that few tourists get to see
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in stunning
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 astonishing
Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 June 2025
Because of their astonishing numbers and short lives, their fossils are found globally across the ocean floor.
—Tim Vernimmen, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 June 2025
Tru has astonishing—and magical—artistic gifts, but when her mother’s gambling debts put Tru’s younger sisters in danger, Tru makes a risky agreement with an undersea dragon lord in an attempt to save her family.
—Caroline Carlson
june 2, Literary Hub, 2 June 2025
There isn’t a huge amount of that, but the fact that the robots are fighting at all is astonishing.
—John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for astonishing
Adjective
Climate adaptation has many challenges, but the disconnect between the world of finance and the universe of innovations and solutions to help us live on a hotter planet is arguably the most astonishing.
—Tom Rogers, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 June 2025
Because of their astonishing numbers and short lives, their fossils are found globally across the ocean floor.
—Tim Vernimmen, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 June 2025
Tru has astonishing—and magical—artistic gifts, but when her mother’s gambling debts put Tru’s younger sisters in danger, Tru makes a risky agreement with an undersea dragon lord in an attempt to save her family.
—Caroline Carlson
june 2, Literary Hub, 2 June 2025
There isn’t a huge amount of that, but the fact that the robots are fighting at all is astonishing.
—John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 1 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for astonishing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for astonishing
Adjective
-
The announcement, though abrupt, was not altogether surprising: City leaders have fretted the loss of Blue Diamond since the 1990s, and the cooperative has been steadily cutting costs in recent years.—
Annika Merrilees,
Sacbee.com,
7 June 2025
-
That's why the kind of blowup that happened this week was very surprising, disappointing to me.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 June 2025
Adjective
-
Here’s a look at his amazing performance. Notes . . .—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2025
-
Gosh, there are trillions of stories that are amazing.—
Lauryn Overhultz,
FOXNews.com,
8 June 2025
Adjective
-
At a news conference Thursday, Mayor Karen Bass made a startling claim.—
Noah Goldberg,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2025
-
What’s new and startling is the revelation that the Bar gave her a free pass by rejecting two previous complaints.—
The Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 June 2025
Verb
-
Jung-bae wound up in a room of three, with Player 001 and some rando — but Player 001 choked the stranger to death in time to reduce their head count, shocking Jung-bae more than a bit.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
26 Dec. 2024
-
Fox News Digital obtained shocking audio between Cyrus and his estranged wife where the country crooner is heard berating his Australian ex and using profane language.—
Ashley Hume,
Fox News,
26 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Then, follow steep alleys up to Hvar’s medieval hilltop castle, looming high above the town below, for stunning views over the bay and Pakleni islands.—
Lewis Nunn,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
-
Designed by the famed 18th-century landscape architect Capability Brown, the estate’s sprawling grounds and stunning interiors have lent their timeless elegance to countless productions.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
10 June 2025
Adjective
-
Tanja Caldwell designed the wonderful costumes for Mara Block Ali’s Netflix series, Forever.—
Rachel Elspeth Gross,
Forbes.com,
7 June 2025
-
Though not a traditional kids’ movie by any stretch, there’s still a lot of wonderful Dignan-esque scheming involved in Mr. Fox (George Clooney) stealing from the adjoining farms of Boggis, Bunce, and Bean, and the film has the warmth of an old Rankin-Bass production.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
7 June 2025
Adjective
-
Still, Maye was able to make a miraculous pass for the first down, throwing against the grain.—
Ted Nguyen,
New York Times,
2 June 2025
-
The three most colossal creatures across land, sea and air within that tropical biosphere hold, in their DNA, the key to a drug that will bring miraculous life-saving benefits to humankind.—
Chris Gardner,
HollywoodReporter,
2 June 2025
Adjective
-
The incredible semblance of natural language fluency exhibited by the computational capabilities of contemporary LLMs seems to be a sure sign that the road ahead must lead to AGI/ASI.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2025
-
The incredible two on the par 5 was just the fourth albatross at the U.S. Open in recorded history and the first since 2012 when Nick Watney made one, according to Justin Ray.—
Troy Finnegan,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Astonishing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/astonishing. Accessed 21 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share