astonish
from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
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.]
[1913 Webster]
Enough, captain; you have astonished him. [Fluellen
had struck Pistol]. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
The very cramp-fish [i. e., torpedo] . . . being
herself not benumbed, is able to astonish others.
--Holland.
[1913 Webster]
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.
[1913 Webster]
Musidorus . . . had his wits astonished with sorrow.
--Sidney.
[1913 Webster]
I, Daniel . . . was astonished at the vision. --Dan.
viii. 27.
[1913 Webster]
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]
from
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
48 Moby Thesaurus words for "astonish":
affright, alarm, amaze, ambush, astound, awe, awestrike, bedaze,
bedazzle, bewilder, boggle, bowl down, bowl over, bushwhack,
catch off-guard, catch unawares, come from behind,
come upon unexpectedly, confound, daze, dazzle, do the unexpected,
drop in on, dumbfound, dumbfounder, flabbergast, floor, overwhelm,
paralyze, perplex, petrify, pounce upon, pull up short, shock,
spring a surprise, spring upon, stagger, startle, strike dead,
strike dumb, strike with wonder, stun, stupefy, surprise,
take by surprise, take short, take unawares, terrify
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