Forbausende

Forbausende is a Norwegian and Danish adjective and adverb meaning astonishing or staggering, used to emphasize how remarkable something is. It typically conveys strong positive surprise or admiration and can modify a noun (forbausende prestasjon) or function as an adverb (forbausende bra, forbausende mange). The term carries an emphatic tone and is common in contemporary speech, journalism, and literature in Norwegian, and is also found in Danish with a similar sense.

Historically, forbausende is formed with the prefix for- and the suffix -ende, yielding an adjective/adverb that denotes something that causes astonishment. It is linked conceptually to the noun forbauselse (astonishment). In practice, the word emphasizes exceptional scale or degree and is often more intense than alternatives like imponerende (impressive) or overraskende (surprising). In formal or neutral contexts, speakers may prefer milder terms.

Examples include: "en forbausende prestasjon" (an astonishing achievement); "forbausende flinke elever" (astonishingly capable students); "forbausende mye regn" (astonishingly a lot of rain). Note that its strong evaluative charge makes it less suitable for cautious, neutral descriptions, but it can be effective for conveying awe, wonder, or praise when appropriate. Related synonyms and contrasts—imponerende, ekstraordinær, overraskende—can help choose the right degree of emphasis in a given context.