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astonishing

[uh-ston-i-shing]

Example Sentences Origin

adjective

causing astonishment or surprise; amazing: an astonishing victory; an astonishing remark.

Origin:
1520–30; astonish + -ing²

Related forms

as·ton·ish·ing·ly, adverb

as·ton·ish·ing·ness, noun

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Astonishing is always a great word to know.

So is callithumpian. Does it mean:

a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.

a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.

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Example Sentences

Students can gain easy online access to an astonishing array of ready-made term papers, and for a fee, they can get.

Well, you can find that astonishing and stupendous principle in any basic micro-economic undergraduate elementary textbook.

Among mammals alone, the number of nocturnal species is astonishing.

EXPAND

Students can gain easy online access to an astonishing array of ready-made term papers, and for a fee, they can get.

Well, you can find that astonishing and stupendous principle in any basic micro-economic undergraduate elementary textbook.

Among mammals alone, the number of nocturnal species is astonishing.

From clownfish to catfish, grouper to great white, the diversity of fish in the sea is nothing short of astonishing.

In general, the more barren the desert is, the more rare and astonishing the flower show will be.

It's astonishing how much trees can vary in fall color.

For the last several years, scientists have been discovering new planets elsewhere in the universe at an astonishing rate.

We have an astonishing capacity not to see things in our midst.

Growth rates will almost certainly moderate after the second quarter's astonishing bounce.

The sheer diversity and abundance of life is astonishing.

Differences among alters can be nothing short of astonishing.

The astonishing variety in the flower is part of its fascination.

It's astonishing to have such ornate refinement in the middle of the stark landscape.

Military health care costs are rising with astonishing speed.

In other cases, an astonishing offer may well turn the candidate's head, and a deal is struck.

Facts such as one in five crimes are committed by cops is astonishing.

Hosting an astonishing array of living things, our hospitable planet is becoming less so for many species.

And the body of the observatory is the ice itself, an abundant medium with an astonishing natural clarity.

Audubon slaughtered astonishing numbers of birds in the course of his artistic expeditions.

And modern pilot training is an astonishing success story.

The stigma that remains with mental illness is astonishing.

Learn more about squid and other cephalopods, their astonishing capabilities, and what they have in common with humans.

The power of mathematics, though, is nothing short of astonishing.

We all live at the bottom of a sea of air, and the stuff pushes against us with astonishing force.

It is astonishing how young a woman may be and yet be thought of as old, and how old a man may be and yet be thought of as young.

The variety of uses for recycled trees is astonishing.

But still it's really astonishing when you realize that's how it came out.

As a result the state is an astonishing blend of cultures.

The astonishing part was the parade of senior faculty members offering condolences for the outcome.

Immerse yourself in the astonishing wonders of the deep through colorful maps, photos, and satellite images.

The astonishing thing is you do not even need to overlay real bars-even illusory ones will do.

Debevec's techniques helped map the faces of live actors onto digital puppets, creating astonishing realism amid fantasy.

It's astonishing that reading, mediation, and breathing exercises haven't been prohibited.

The publicity, and the volunteer help it generated, were astonishing.

It is astonishing that human interests are always considered supremely higher in status than animal interests.

It's astonishing that this commentary wasn't written by an athletic director or someone in senior administration.

The differences in responses to the two sets of evaluations were absolutely astonishing.

It is an astonishing account of hardship and deliverance by education.

Most of them found engaging new paths in life and their affectionate recollections are astonishing.

More important, the guy has astonishing talent when it comes to singing songs.

It is astonishing that this type of violence does not occur more often.

Astonishing results may follow that will shake your entire belief system.

Tifft found evidence of an astonishing phenomenon: the shifts in the spectra of light coming from distant galaxies are.

With his mother, brother and sister, he built a fashion empire that catapulted him to astonishing riches.

At once routine and astonishing, and even more astonishing for being routine, the summer sockeye run has started.

The result was an astonishing outpouring early in his notebooks which reveals the anguish behind his evolutionary venture.

But the speedy return of wildlife to the area is astonishing.

It was an astonishing demonstration of versatility and endurance.

Then there is the astonishing difficulty of consistently hitting the right notes, let alone making music.

We virtually ignore the astonishing range of scientific and practical applications that quantum mechanics undergirds:.

But duck skin has such an astonishing capacity for holding.

Stricken roads, bullet trains and factories have returned to normal with astonishing speed.

Instead, it's all about voices-and the voices are astonishing.

It would be astonishing if that occurred without disrupting existing life.

She had written more than a hundred light novels with an inspirational angle, and they sold in astonishing numbers.

The astonishing part was the way that the four-year-olds' ability to defer gratification was reflected over time in their lives.

Their shows are always astonishing and full of authenticity.

Particularly in the early comics, the writers overused quotation marks to a nearly astonishing degree.

It is moving to build the self-perpetuating effects that come with such a platform with astonishing speed.

Bees have astonishing winter habits, all taking place inside the hive.

Where attempts to use the telephone are rewarded with astonishing demands for payment, whether calls are connected or not.

The canyon is known for its astonishing sunsets, huge whitewater, and dreamlike scenery.

Klein made the astonishing statement that the various narcotics and.

It would be an astonishing achievement if it happens and works.

The naivete--putting it charitably--expressed in this essay is astonishing.

Both were monstrously self-centred, permanently grumpy and capable of astonishing rudeness.

It's astonishing to me that there haven't always been weather satellites.

But as our briefing shows, they are an astonishing force.

During years of jungle quests he has discovered new ant species and astonishing ant behaviors.

Both, perhaps especially the second, are fairly astonishing in their completeness.

All this put together will get the astonishing speed-up effect.

What is astonishing is how little consideration public policy makers give to the underpinnings of terrorism.

To find that the entire page has been run by one man is astonishing.

COLLAPSE

Dictionary.com Unabridged

verb (used with object)

to fill with sudden and overpowering surprise or wonder; amaze: Her easy humor and keen intellect astonished me.

Origin:
1525–35; Middle English astonyen, astonen, probably < dialectal Old French *astoner, Old French estoner < Vulgar Latin *extonāre, for Latin attonāre to strike with lightning, equivalent to ex- ex-¹, at- at- + tonāre to thunder; extended by -ish², perhaps reflecting Anglo-French *astonir < dialectal Old French

Related forms

as·ton·ished·ly, adverb

as·ton·ish·er, noun

su·per·as·ton·ish, verb

un·as·ton·ished, adjective

Synonyms
astound, startle, shock. See surprise.

Link To astonishing

Collins

World English Dictionary

astonishing (əˈstɒnɪʃɪŋ)

—*adj*
	causing great surprise or amazement; astounding

a'stonishingly

—*adv*

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

astonish

mid-14c., astonien, from O.Fr. estoner "to stun, daze, deafen, astound," from V.L. *extonare, from L. ex- "out" + tonare "to thunder" (see thunder); so, lit. "to leave someone thunderstruck." The modern form (influenced by English verbs in -ish, e.g. distinguish, diminish)

EXPAND

is attested from c.1530. Related: Astonishment.

"No wonder is thogh that she were astoned" [Chaucer, "Clerk's Tale"]

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Matching Quote

"What is a firm hand to me, of what use to me is this astonishing power if I cannot change the order of things, if I cannot make the sun set in the east, that suffering diminish and that beings no longer die?"

-Albert Camus

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