Astonishing

astonishing
    adj 1: surprising greatly; "she does an amazing amount of work";
           "the dog was capable of astonishing tricks" [syn:
           {amazing}, {astonishing}]
    2: so surprisingly impressive as to stun or overwhelm; "such an
       enormous response was astonishing"; "an astounding
       achievement"; "the amount of money required was staggering";
       "suffered a staggering defeat"; "the figure inside the boucle
       dress was stupefying" [syn: {astonishing}, {astounding},
       {staggering}, {stupefying}]
    

Astonishing \As*ton"ish*ing\, a.
   Very wonderful; of a nature to excite astonishment; as, an
   astonishing event.
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   Syn: Amazing; surprising; wonderful; marvelous.
        [1913 Webster] {As*ton"ish*ing*ly}, adv. --
        {As*ton"ish*ing*ness}, n.
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Astonish \As*ton"ish\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Astonished}; p. pr.
   & vb. n. {Astonishing}.] [OE. astonien, astunian, astonen,
   OF. estoner, F. ['e]tonner, fr. L. ex out + tonare to
   thunder, but perhaps influenced by E. stun. See {Thunder},
   {Astound}, {Astony}.]
   1. To stun; to render senseless, as by a blow. [Obs.]
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            Enough, captain; you have astonished him. [Fluellen
            had struck Pistol].                   --Shak.
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            The very cramp-fish [i. e., torpedo] . . . being
            herself not benumbed, is able to astonish others.
                                                  --Holland.
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   2. To strike with sudden fear, terror, or wonder; to amaze;
      to surprise greatly, as with something unaccountable; to
      confound with some sudden emotion or passion.
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            Musidorus . . . had his wits astonished with sorrow.
                                                  --Sidney.
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            I, Daniel . . . was astonished at the vision. --Dan.
                                                  viii. 27.
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   Syn: To amaze; astound; overwhelm; surprise.

   Usage: {Astonished}, {Surprised}. We are surprised at what is
          unexpected. We are astonished at what is above or
          beyond our comprehension. We are taken by surprise. We
          are struck with astonishment. --C. J. Smith. See
          {Amaze}.
          [1913 Webster]
    

42 Moby Thesaurus words for "astonishing":
      amazing, appalling, astounding, breathtaking, confounding,
      conspicuous, egregious, electrifying, exceptional, extraordinary,
      eye-opening, fabulous, fantastic, formidable, incredible, jarring,
      jolting, marked, marvelous, mind-boggling, miraculous, notable,
      noteworthy, noticeable, of mark, outstanding, overwhelming,
      prodigious, remarkable, shocking, signal, spectacular, staggering,
      startling, striking, stunning, stupendous, superior, surprising,
      uncommon, wonderful, wondrous