Astonish Meaning
/əˈstɒnɪʃ/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo surprise greatly.
Sentence Examples
Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.
Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest.
Astonish your friends by teaching your dog to do backflips!
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The magician's final trick never failed to ____ the audience with its unexpected and dazzling finale.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The magician's next trick will surely ____ the whole audience.
Word Origin & History
Probably an alteration (due to words ending in -ish: abolish, banish, cherish, establish, furnish, etc.) of earlier astony, astone, astun (“to astonish, stun”), from Middle English astoneyen, astonen (“to stun, astonish”), variant of stonen, stoneyen (“to stun, astonish”) prefixed with a-. However, compare Old French estonir, a rare variant of estoner (“to stun, astonish”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
""I have no right to give my opinion," said Wickham, "as to his being agreeable or otherwise. I am not qualified to form one. I have known him too long and too well to be a fair judge. It is impossible for me to be impartial. But I believe your opinion of him would in general astonish — and perhaps you would not express it quite so strongly anywhere else. Here you are in your own family.""
— 1813 January 27, [Jane Austen], Pride and Prejudice: […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The magician's final trick never failed to ____ the audience with its unexpected and dazzling finale.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The magician's next trick will surely ____ the whole audience.