amazed

amazed — adjective

1. feeling so much surprise that you can hardly believe what you have just seen, he

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

feeling so much surprise that you can hardly believe what you have just seen, heard, or learned, especially because it seems too unusual or impressive to be real.

Example

Kalani was amazed at how quickly her grandmother learned to send voice messages.

be amazed at + noun phrase / wh-clause

The children stood with open mouths, amazed by the size of the blue whale skeleton.

be amazed by + noun, describing visible reaction

Common collocations
  • absolutely amazed
  • totally amazed
  • genuinely amazed
  • amazed look
  • amazed expression
  • stand amazed
Synonyms
  • astonished

    very close in meaning, slightly more formal and often suggests stronger shock

  • astounded

    stronger than amazed; suggests the person can hardly speak or react

  • stunned

    suggests the surprise is so strong it leaves you speechless or motionless

  • speechless

    focuses on the inability to respond rather than the feeling itself

Antonyms
  • unsurprised

    suggests the event was expected

  • indifferent

    suggests no emotional reaction at all, not even mild interest

Grammar Patterns

be amazed at + noun

be amazed by + noun

be amazed that + clause

be amazed to + infinitive

Usage Note

Almost always used with be, look, seem, or feel — describes the experiencer's state, not the cause. For the thing causing the feeling, use 'amazing' instead. Frequently followed by at, by, that, or to-infinitive.

Common Mistakes

The view was amazed.
The view was amazing.
use 'amazing' for the cause; 'amazed' is for the person who feels the surprise.
I am amazed for his English.
I am amazed at his English.
use 'at' or 'by' before the thing that surprises you, not 'for'.
She was amazed about meet the singer.
She was amazed to meet the singer.
use a to-infinitive, not 'about + -ing', after 'amazed' for an event that caused the feeling.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All five words describe the feeling caused by something unexpected, but they sit on a scale of intensity. 'Surprised' is the lightest and most everyday — used for anything from a small unexpected gift to bumping into a friend. 'Amazed' adds a sense of wonder and admiration; it often suggests the cause was impressive, not just unexpected. 'Astonished' is similar in strength to 'amazed' but feels a little more formal and is more common in writing. 'Astounded' and 'stunned' are the strongest: they suggest the person can hardly process what happened. Compare: 'I was surprised when he called' (mild), 'I was amazed by her painting skills' (impressed wonder), and 'We were stunned by the news of the accident' (shocked, almost unable to react).

amazed ↗astonished ↗astoundedstunnedsurprised ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • stand amazed
  • look amazed
  • be amazed to learn
  • be amazed to find

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

'Amazed' is the past participle of the verb 'amaze', which goes back to Old English 'amasian', meaning to confuse or stun someone, related to 'maze' — originally a state of bewilderment or a confusing place. By the 1500s the meaning had shifted from 'confused' toward 'filled with wonder'. As an adjective describing how a person feels, 'amazed' has been common in English since the late 16th century.