astound/surprise

[KYC]

Hello, there:
I am learning a term "astound".
I looked it up in a dictionary. It says "If something astounds you, you are very surprised by it."
I am wondering if its extent of surprising is more than the term "surprise".

Also, is it a common term in daily life or just appears at the literature?
Could you please enlighten it?
Thanks for your valuable help in advance!

 

[Gwan]

Hi KYC,

Yes, I would say that 'astound' is stronger than 'surprise'. I don't see it as a particularly literary word (unless you're the sort of writer who thinks that an interesting literary style consists of opening your thesaurus and running amok), but it would certainly be less commonly used than 'surprise', both in spoken and written English.

PS 'does it just appear in literature', 'could you please enlighten me'

 

[KYC]

Thanks for your clarification and correction, Gwan!
That's what I need.