astonished
Other forms: astonishedly
If you are astonished, you're feeling the emotional punch of a huge surprise. If you've lived in the city your whole life, the first night you spend in the desert staring at billions of stars will leave you astonished.
Astonished is the adjective form of the verb astonish, which comes from old Anglo-Norman for a blow to the head. We use it now for much more positive feelings, when we are stunned by awe and admiration, and not stunned from being hit in the head with a bat! Synonyms are amazed and astounded.
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filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
/əˈstɑnɪʃt/
/əˈstɒnɪʃt/
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Vocabulary lists containing astonished
Third-grader Maggie Schultz decides she does not want to learn how to read and write cursive.
You'll be shocked, amazed, and delighted when you check out this collection of words to describe emotions. Here are links to our lists in the collection: List 1, List 2, List 3
On the ACT Reading Test, you will almost certainly encounter questions that ask about an author's tone — that is, the author's attitude toward their subject matter. Master our comprehensive collection of common words used to describe an author's tone, and you'll be well prepared to tackle these questions.
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