French word

étonner

Pronunciation

IPA/etone/

Meaning

  • verbsurprise

Example

Il m'a étonné.

He surprised me.

Illustration for étonner (surprise)

More examples

Je ne voulais pas étonner ma sœur.

I did not want to surprise my sister.

Core concept

A sudden jolt leaves someone briefly stunned by an unexpected event.

Common phrases

  • étonner quelqu'un

    surprise someone

  • étonner un public

    surprise an audience

Similar words

surprendre: To surprise someone by appearing suddenly or drawing attention to something.
impressionner: To impress someone through remarkable actions or ability.

Definition in French

Faire ressentir à quelqu'un une surprise ou une stupeur, parfois passagère.

Word origin

Étonner developed from Old French estoner, from Latin extonare, formed with ex- and tonare, 'to thunder', suggesting being struck as by thunder.

Usage tips

  • Étonner takes a direct object for the person affected, as in étonner quelqu'un, while s'étonner de introduces the thing that causes surprise.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word