astonish
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++LDOCE 5++as·ton·ish /əˈstɒnɪʃ $ əˈstɑː-/ ●○○ verb [transitive] SURPRISEDto surprise someone very much 使吃惊，使惊讶 SYN amaze Her reply astonished me. 她的回答让我大吃一惊。 It astonished him that she had changed so little. 他很惊讶，她几乎没怎么变。 What astonishes me most is his complete lack of fear. 最令我吃惊的是，他什么都不怕。→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
astonish• Stan has now rediscovered the fish bed and is currently preparing new specimens to astonish and delight the world.• Einstein's work still astonishes physicists.• Though depleted by robbery in Thrace on the way home, Vulso's loot astonished the Romans for its size and quality.Origin astonish (1500-1600) astone “to astonish” ((14-17 centuries)) (from Old French estoner, from Vulgar Latin extonare, from Latin tonare “to thunder”) + -ish (as in abolish)as·ton·ish verbChineseSyllable
very someone Corpus surprise much to
astonish
as‧ton‧ish /əˈstɒnɪʃ $ əˈstɑː-/
verb [transitive]
SYN amaze:
Her reply astonished me.
It astonished him that she had changed so little.
What astonishes me most is his complete lack of fear.
▪ surprise to make someone feel surprised, especially because they did not expect something: Her reaction surprised me – I didn’t realize how strongly she felt. | What surprised me was how cheap everything was compared to at home.
▪amaze to greatly surprise someone, for example because something is very good, unusual, or hard to believe: He amazed everyone with his skill. | It amazes me that no one has thought of the idea before.
▪astonish to greatly surprise someone: Myra astonished her doctors by recovering so quickly.
▪astound to greatly surprise or shock someone. Astound sounds a little more formal and a little stronger than astonish: What astounded him was their inefficiency.
▪take somebody by surprise to happen at an unexpected time, so that people are surprised or unprepared: Security men were taken by surprise as the man ran onto the stage. | His resignation took us by surprise.
▪startle to make someone feel surprised or slightly frightened by doing something they did not expect: The wind made the door shut with a crash, which startled her. | Sudden movements may startle the horse.
as‧ton‧ish /əˈstɒnɪʃ $ əˈstɑː-/
verb [transitive] Date: 1500-1600
Origin: astone 'to astonish' (14-17 centuries) (from Old French estoner, from Vulgar Latin extonare, from Latin tonare 'to thunder') + -ish (as in abolish)
to surprise someone very much Origin: astone 'to astonish' (14-17 centuries) (from Old French estoner, from Vulgar Latin extonare, from Latin tonare 'to thunder') + -ish (as in abolish)
SYN amaze:
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surprise to give sb the feeling that you get when sth happens that you do not expect or do not understand, or sth that you do expect does not happen; to make sb feel surprised 指使惊奇、使诧异、使感到意外 ：◆ The outcome didn't surprise me at all. 这一结果完全在我的意料之中。 startle to surprise sb suddenly in a way that slightly shocks or frightens them 指惊吓、使吓一跳、使大吃一惊 ：◆ Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. 对不起，我不是存心要吓唬你。 ◆ The explosion startled the horse. 爆炸声使马受了惊。 amaze to surprise sb very much 指使惊奇、使惊愕、使惊诧 ：◆ Just the huge size of the place amazed her. 仅仅地方之大就使她十分惊奇。 stun ( (often in newspapers) to surprise or shock sb so much that they cannot think clearly or speakrather
（常用于报章）指使震惊、使惊愕、使目瞪口呆 astonish to surprise sb very much 指使十分惊讶、使大为惊奇 ：◆ The news astonished everyone. 这消息使大家十分惊讶。
amaze or astonish? 用 amaze 还是 astonish？
take sb aback [ （尤指不好的事）使大吃一惊、使震惊 ：◆ We were rather taken aback by her hostile reaction. 她敌视的反应使我们大吃一惊。 astound to surprise or shock sb very much 指使震惊、使大惊 ：◆ His arrogance astounded her. 他的傲慢使她震惊。
Patterns
It surprises sb/startles sb/amazes sb/stuns sb/astonishes sb/takes sb aback/astounds sbto surprise/startle/amaze/stun/astonish/astound sb that… to surprise/amaze sb what/how… to surprise/startle/amaze/stun/astonish/astound sb to know/find/learn/see/hear… to be surprised/startled/stunned into (doing) sth