Astonished

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /æ- -d/

Definitions

1. Feeling a profound sense of amazement or shock caused by an unforeseen event or realization
2. Experiencing a strong emotional reaction due to something unexpected and remarkable
3. Having a sudden sense of wonder or disbelief because of an astonishing occurrence

Etymology: "Astonished" is the past form of "astonish," and the verb's most interesting feature is that its ending may be a mistake. Middle English had "astonen" and "astoneyen," meaning to stun or astonish, built from the prefix "a-" and the verb "stonen," "to stun." Over time, speakers began to treat the ending as the common "-ish" found in verbs like "abolish," "banish," and "cherish," and the spelling settled into "astonish." The verb's sense of being stunned is still visible in its roots: to be astonished was once close to being literally dazed. A rival theory points across the Channel. Old French had "estonir," a rare variant of "estoner," meaning to stun or astonish, which could also have fed the English word. Scholars are not certain which source counts for more, so the English verb may owe its shape to both native and French influences.

Synonyms: amazed, surprised, astounded, bewildered

Antonyms: unimpressed, bored, indifferent