Synonym Chooser

How does the verb flabbergast contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of flabbergast are amaze, astonish, astound, and surprise. While all these words mean "to impress forcibly through unexpectedness," flabbergast may suggest thorough astonishment and bewilderment or dismay.

flabbergasted by his angry refusal

When would amaze be a good substitute for flabbergast?

The words amaze and flabbergast can be used in similar contexts, but amaze suggests an effect of bewilderment.

amazed by the immense size of the place

When is astonish a more appropriate choice than flabbergast?

The meanings of astonish and flabbergast largely overlap; however, astonish implies surprising so greatly as to seem incredible.

a discovery that astonished the world

When might astound be a better fit than flabbergast?

While in some cases nearly identical to flabbergast, astound stresses the shock of astonishment.

too astounded to respond

Where would surprise be a reasonable alternative to flabbergast?

In some situations, the words surprise and flabbergast are roughly equivalent. However, surprise stresses causing an effect through being unexpected but not necessarily unusual or novel.

surprised to find them at home

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 flabbergast None other than Dionne Warwick has also been flabbergasted by this latest metaphor. Bethy Squires, Vulture, 19 Feb. 2025 For Perry, these operations felt like the final step to closing out a weight loss journey that flabbergasted millions online. Angela Yang, NBC News, 13 Feb. 2025 Gates, who once held Musk’s current position as the world’s wealthiest person, seems to find this hard-right turn flabbergasting. Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 27 Jan. 2025 Dozens of producer friends wrote to one another, flabbergasted that such a thing could happen. Cathy Schulman, Deadline, 25 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for flabbergast
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flabbergast
Verb
  • The 90-yard dash along the right sideline one play after Ruvalcaba’s interception amazed his teammates.
    Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2025
  • Having an almost 80-year-old actor at the heart of the film and in almost every scene could be a huge undertaking, but Touzani says Maura’s vitality amazed her.
    Alissa Simon, Variety, 29 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • The battle was turbo-charged when Powell surprised markets with a 50 basis point inflation hike in September last year, seen by some as a gift to Trump’s Democratic Party election rival Kamala Harris.
    Billy Bambrough, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
  • In a move that surprised some, the Republican governor’s proclamation also called on lawmakers to weaken the state’s initiative petition process, a more than a century-old mechanism for direct democracy that allows citizens to put measures on the ballot.
    Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Apparently, this will shock no one, everybody lately wants to scream.
    Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 3 Sep. 2025
  • In 2019, after massive layoffs and lost sales, the company shocked Wall Street by writing down the value of marquee brands Oscar Mayer and Kraft by $15 billion.
    Alina Selyukh, NPR, 2 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The success of the event astonished everybody.
    George Caulkin, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Both Padres baseball leaders were astonished by what the 2010 team had achieved through more than three-quarters of the season.
    Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Instead, the army became bogged down in a grinding war of attrition, and the West was stunned by Moscow’s poor battlefield performance.
    David Kirichenko, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
  • When news of the closing of Valerie Chang’s Peruvian restaurant Maty’s was announced in Midtown, Miami diners were stunned.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The cars are startled by a ghost car named Brenda (a perfectly imperfect name), who introduces them to other friendly ghost vehicles, most of whom have experienced deadly crashes and now honk funny.
    Sloane Crosley, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025
  • This technique often is used with fencing to create a visual barrier and to startle geese when the tape shimmers in the breeze.
    Arricca Elin SanSone, Southern Living, 23 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Flabbergast.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flabbergast. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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