astonishing

/əˈstɒnɪʃɪŋ/

extremely surprising or impressive

The magician's tricks were truly astonishing.

The magician's tricks were extremely surprising and impressive.

formalinformal

Extremely surprising or impressive; causing great wonder or amazement.

The view from the mountaintop was astonishing.

The view from the mountaintop was extremely impressive and surprising.

She made astonishing progress in her studies.

She made extremely impressive progress in her studies.

Often used to describe something that is both surprising and impressive.

Collocations

Use 'astonishing' to emphasize both surprise and impressiveness, often in formal or literary contexts.

From Middle English 'astonyen' (to astonish), from Old French 'estoner' (to stun), from Latin 'ex-' (out) + 'tonare' (to thunder).

Can be used to describe both positive and negative surprises, though it often carries a positive connotation.

astonish

to surprise greatly

root

-ing

present participle or adjective form

suffix

English Dictionary