stun + thunder

I remember the first time I saw someone comment online of an essay, “This is astonishing.” I read the essay and thought, ‘astonishing’ is not the word I’d use here. I started really noticing if and when I came across writing I would label as “astonishing.” I also started noticing how often the word was used to describe pieces of writing.

I’ve definitely come across moments, scenes, a poem, a chapter, or an entire book that in some way astonished me. Merriam-Webster reports that the word astonish was first used in 1534. Its origins lie in the words ‘stun’ and ‘thunder.’ Like, I have certainly been stunned by beauty and intensity in language on the page but the word “astonish” is one I’d use with great consideration, simply because the word is overused.