be astonished at — to be extremely surprised or amazed by something
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: to be extremely surprised or amazed by something
Pronunciation (IPA): /bi əˈstɑːnɪʃt æt/
Example Sentences
- He was astonished at the price increase of his favorite coffee.
- I was astonished at my grandmother's ability to text faster than me.
- The students were astonished at the professor's announcement of no final exam.
be astonished at
NOUN[/bi əˈstɑːnɪʃt æt/]
to be extremely surprised or amazed by something
The villagers were astonished at the dragon landing gently in their square.
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
The verb 'astonish' derives from Latin 'tonare' (to thunder), combined with the prefix 'ad-' (to). Originally meaning 'to strike with thunder,' it evolved metaphorically to describe the sudden shock and amazement one experiences when struck by a thunderbolt, eventually generalizing to express any state of profound surprise or bewilderment.
Breakdown
ad- (to, toward) + tonare (thunder) > astonish (to strike with amazement). The phrase 'be astonished at' combines the past participle 'astonished' with the preposition 'at' to indicate the object or cause of the amazement.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“He was astonished at the price increase of his favorite coffee.”
“I was astonished at my grandmother's ability to text faster than me.”
“The students were astonished at the professor's announcement of no final exam.”
“We were astonished at how quickly the delivery arrived in just 10 minutes.”
📚Related Words
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