Basic Details
Word: Astonished
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Very surprised, so much that you can hardly believe what has happened.
Synonyms: amazed, astounded, stunned, flabbergasted
Antonyms: unsurprised, unmoved
How to Spell Astonished
Syllables: as - ton - ished
Tricky part: Every consonant before the -ished is single: one s, one t, one n. The sh sound is written sh, and students who say it fast write astonised.
Watch out for: astonised, astonnished, asstonished
Memory tip: Think as-TON-ished: news so big it lands on you like a ton weight. Write as, then ton, then ished.
Usage Examples
Example 1: The villagers were astonished to see a leopard strolling down the main road at noon.
Example 2: I was astonished at how much my little sister had grown in a year.
Example 3: Even the teacher looked astonished when the quiet boy won the elocution contest.
Fun Fact
Astonish goes back to the Latin tonare, to thunder: an astonished person is as stunned as if thunder had struck close by.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word astonished as used in the sentence:
We were astonished to find a peacock sitting on our car one morning.
a) amazed
b) bored
c) angry
d) relieved
Show answer
a) amazed. To be astonished is to be greatly surprised, and amazed means the same.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
The fishermen stood astonised on the beach as a huge turtle crawled out of their net and back into the sea.
a) astonised
b) fishermen
c) turtle
d) crawled
Show answer
a) astonised. Astonished comes from astonish, so it keeps the sh before ed.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the word in the sentence and choose it:
Grandpa looked hsosieatnd when I finished his crossword in five minutes.
a) astonished
b) admonished
c) abolished
d) established
Show answer
a) astonished. The letters include a t but no b, l or m, which only astonished fits.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. An astonished look on someone's face shows ____.
a) deep sleep
b) great surprise
c) mild boredom
d) quiet sadness
Show answer
b) great surprise
2. A person would most likely be astonished by ____.
a) snow falling in Chennai in May
b) traffic on a Delhi road
c) rain falling in Mumbai in July
d) fog in Punjab in winter
Show answer
a) snow falling in Chennai in May
