astonish — to surprise someone very much; to shock or amaze greatly
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to surprise someone very much; to shock or amaze greatly
Pronunciation (IPA): /əˈstɑːnɪʃ/
Example Sentences
- My cat's ability to open doors never fails to astonish visitors.
- The student's improvement in just one month astonished his teacher.
- It would astonish you to know how much coffee I can drink in one day.
astonish
VERB[/əˈstɑːnɪʃ/]
to surprise someone very much; to shock or amaze greatly
The magician's final trick astonished the entire crowd into silence.
A(one) + STON(stone) + ISH(dish) — the crazy chef served A STONe on a dISH to completely astonish the strict food critics.
Watching the giant circus elephant suddenly vanish into thin air managed to completely astonish the entire audience.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From Old French 'astonir' meaning 'to stun or shock', derived from Latin 'ex-' (out) combined with 'tonare' (to thunder), literally meaning 'to strike as if by thunder'.
Breakdown
a- (to) + stone (thunder/stun) + -ish (verb suffix) = astonish, with the root ultimately from Latin 'tonare' (to thunder)
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My cat's ability to open doors never fails to astonish visitors.”
“The student's improvement in just one month astonished his teacher.”
“It would astonish you to know how much coffee I can drink in one day.”
“The speed of technological advancement continues to astonish experts.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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