Thesaurus results for FLABBERGAST

Q: How does the verb 'flabbergast' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of flabbergast are amaze , astonish , astound , and surprise . While all these words mean "to impress forcibly through unexpectedness," flabbergast may suggest thorough astonishment and bewilderment or dismay. // flabbergasted by his angry refusal

Q: When would 'amaze' be a good substitute for 'flabbergast'?

The words amaze and flabbergast can be used in similar contexts, but amaze suggests an effect of bewilderment. // amazed by the immense size of the place

Q: When is 'astonish' a more appropriate choice than 'flabbergast'?

The meanings of astonish and flabbergast largely overlap; however, astonish implies surprising so greatly as to seem incredible. // a discovery that astonished the world

Q: When might 'astound' be a better fit than 'flabbergast'?

While in some cases nearly identical to flabbergast , astound stresses the shock of astonishment. // too astounded to respond

Q: Where would 'surprise' be a reasonable alternative to 'flabbergast'?

In some situations, the words surprise and flabbergast are roughly equivalent. However, surprise stresses causing an effect through being unexpected but not necessarily unusual or novel. // surprised to find them at home

flabbergast

verb

ˈfla-bər-ˌgast

Definition of flabbergast

as in to amaze

to make a strong impression on (someone) with something unexpected your decision to suddenly quit your job flabbergasts me

Synonyms & Similar Words

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How does the verb flabbergast contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of flabbergast are amaze, astonish, astound, and surprise. While all these words mean "to impress forcibly through unexpectedness," flabbergast may suggest thorough astonishment and bewilderment or dismay.

flabbergasted by his angry refusal

When would amaze be a good substitute for flabbergast?

The words amaze and flabbergast can be used in similar contexts, but amaze suggests an effect of bewilderment.

amazed by the immense size of the place

When is astonish a more appropriate choice than flabbergast?

The meanings of astonish and flabbergast largely overlap; however, astonish implies surprising so greatly as to seem incredible.

a discovery that astonished the world

When might astound be a better fit than flabbergast?

While in some cases nearly identical to flabbergast, astound stresses the shock of astonishment.

too astounded to respond

Where would surprise be a reasonable alternative to flabbergast?

In some situations, the words surprise and flabbergast are roughly equivalent. However, surprise stresses causing an effect through being unexpected but not necessarily unusual or novel.

surprised to find them at home

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of flabbergast Hockney was flabbergasted by the asking price. — Mark Rozzo, Vanity Fair, 12 June 2026 The show’s hosts were flabbergasted in their post-game coverage. — Jack Dunn, Variety, 11 June 2026 Beardsley described herself as flabbergasted by the news. — Abigail Min, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026 Shapiro was flabbergasted and offended. — Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 24 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for flabbergast

Recent Examples of Synonyms for flabbergast

Verb

What amazes me is there seems to be a wide swath of Michiganders who don’t seem to mind being lied to.

— Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 24 Sep. 2026
And especially with the stock market—I’m amazed the stock market still hasn’t really taken the hit.

— Victoria Feng, The Atlantic, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of amaze

Verb

Carleton was surprised by how many older adults were thrilled to join a trial that would guide not only their care, but the treatment of others going forward.

— Allessandra DiCorato, STAT, 8 Oct. 2026
After years of buying and selling horses, Casse knows the business will keep surprising him.

— Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of surprise

Verb

No matter how one views the death penalty, the grisly details of this tragic incident should — to use a phrase coined by Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter — shock the conscience.

— Dr. Jacob Appel, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026
The Israeli film, set in 1987, centers on a 12-year-old boy, Boaz, played by Yair Mazor, who, while preparing for his bar mitzvah, is shocked to witness his father (Assi Cohen) having sex in a swimming pool locker room.

— Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of shock

Verb

But after circling a few times, the shark spat out the bait, leaving fishermen on the pier stunned.

— Jasmine Mendez Follow, Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026
At a small celebration dinner in San Francisco after the deal closed, Basu Trivedi was stunned by their choice of lodging.

— Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of stun

Verb

The results astonished Christopher Galarza, a Pittsburgh chef and electric cooking advocate, who helped design the study.

— Tony Briscoe, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
Switzerland’s iconic glaciers lost an enormous amount of ice in 2026, a new report shows, signaling an ongoing rapid meltdown driven by climate change that has astonished even scientists studying it.

— Erin Douglas, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of astonish

Verb

However, startled by the activation of the security system, the suspect fled the scene without stealing any loot.

— Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
To build a stealthy ocean-monitoring platform for the Office of Naval Research, Professor Shepherd needed a propulsion system that would not startle marine life.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of startle

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“Flabbergast.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flabbergast. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of flabbergast

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