astonished

astonished — adjective

1. so surprised by something unexpected that it leaves you almost unable to react —

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

so surprised by something unexpected that it leaves you almost unable to react — often shown on the face or in the voice, as when a quiet student wins first prize, or a long-lost friend appears at the door.

Example

Theo was astonished to find a snake curled up inside her boot.

astonished + to-infinitive for an unexpected discovery

The judges looked astonished when the youngest singer hit a perfect high note.

linking verb 'looked' + astonished describing facial expression

Common collocations
  • look astonished
  • seem astonished
  • sound astonished
  • absolutely astonished
  • an astonished expression
  • an astonished gasp
Synonyms
  • amazed

    very close in meaning, but often suggests admiration or wonder rather than shock

  • astounded

    even stronger; the surprise borders on disbelief

  • stunned

    implies the shock is so big the person cannot speak or move for a moment

  • flabbergasted

    informal, often humorous; the speaker is comically lost for words

Antonyms
  • unsurprised

    neutral opposite — the event was expected

  • indifferent

    stronger opposite — not just unsurprised, but uninterested

Grammar Patterns

astonished + to-infinitive

astonished + that-clause

astonished by/at + noun

Usage Note

Stronger than 'surprised' — implies the surprise is so large the person is briefly stuck for words or action. Often appears with linking verbs ('look', 'seem', 'sound') describing visible reaction, and is followed by 'to-infinitive', a 'that'-clause, or 'by/at + noun'. Rarely modified by 'very' because the word already contains that intensity; use 'absolutely' or 'completely' instead.

Common Mistakes

I was very astonished by the news.
I was absolutely astonished by the news.
'astonished' already means very surprised, so 'very' sounds redundant; use 'absolutely' or 'completely'.
She was astonished from the loud noise.
She was astonished by the loud noise.
the cause takes 'by' or 'at', not 'from'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All five describe being strongly surprised, but they differ in flavour. 'Amazed' often carries admiration — you are amazed by a beautiful view or a clever trick. 'Astonished' is a step stronger and more neutral about the cause: the surprise is so big it briefly silences you, whether the news is good or bad. 'Astounded' goes further still and shades into disbelief — you doubt what you just heard. 'Stunned' adds a physical, almost frozen reaction, common after shocking news. 'Flabbergasted' is informal and slightly comic, used when a speaker wants to dramatise being lost for words. Compare: a child is amazed by a magic trick, but the parents are astonished when the magician guesses their address, astounded when he names their dog, and flabbergasted when he hands back the watch they did not know was missing.

astonished ↗amazed ↗astoundedstunnedflabbergasted

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • look astonished
  • sound astonished
  • an astonished expression
  • stand there astonished

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinVulgar LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

Astonished comes from the older verb 'astone', which entered English from Old French 'estoner' meaning 'to stun or daze'. That French word traces back to Vulgar Latin 'extonare', built from Latin 'ex-' (out, thoroughly) and 'tonare' (to thunder) — the original picture is of someone struck as if by a thunderclap. By the 1500s English speakers had reshaped the verb into 'astonish', and the past-participle adjective 'astonished' settled into its modern sense of being so surprised one is briefly stuck.