ENGLISH
REFERENCE

astonishing

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //əˈstɑnɪʃɪŋ// UK //ɐstˈɒnɪʃɪŋ// as·ton·ish·ing General-service

v. extremely surprising or impressive. You use this when something is so amazing that it is hard to believe.

v. causing great surprise or amazement; very impressive. A gradable adjective that functions as a more intense synonym for 'surprising'.


SIMPLE

The view from the top of the mountain is astonishing.

CONTEXTUAL

The young athlete showed astonishing progress, breaking three national records in a single afternoon.

COMPLEX

The speed with which the technology evolved was truly astonishing, transforming the entire industry in less than a decade and rendering previous methods obsolete.

Synonyms
Usage

As a gradable adjective, it can be modified by 'absolutely' or 'truly' for emphasis.

Pitfall

I was astonishing by the newsI was astonished by the newsLearners often confuse the '-ing' adjective (describing the thing) with the '-ed' adjective (describing the person's feeling).

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