astonishment

noun

as·​ton·​ish·​ment ə-ˈstä-nish-mənt How to pronounce astonishment (audio)
1
a
: a feeling of great surprise and wonder : the state of being astonished : amazement
The garden's beauty filled me with astonishment.
2
: something that astonishes : a cause of amazement or wonder
Everything that he had seen so far … had been so astonishing that he began to wonder whether there could possibly be any more astonishments left.Roald Dahl

Examples of astonishment in a Sentence

The garden's beauty filled me with astonishment. A crowd watched in astonishment as he jumped from the bridge. They discovered to their astonishment that their car had been stolen. Much to the astonishment of her friends and family, she left school to pursue her acting career.
Recent Examples on the Web Yet intertwined with this narrative of uneasy astonishment is an intriguing counterpoint. Cal Newport, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024 The stunned witnesses expressed their astonishment at the sight before them in the 25-second video. Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 4 Feb. 2024 But even centrist Israeli officials expressed astonishment that the United States was pressing peace initiatives while the all-out war against Hamas was continuing. Dalia Dassa Kaye, Foreign Affairs, 1 Feb. 2024 The final score was an astonishment: Lions 59, Browns 14. Bill Morris, Detroit Free Press, 28 Jan. 2024 Basking in the eerie glow of a total solar eclipse has been described as what pure astonishment feels like. Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 30 Jan. 2024 Her tone was one of surprise, astonishment, and appreciation. Chris John Amorosino, Hartford Courant, 8 Jan. 2024 Germany and the Soviet Union had signed a non-aggression pact in 1939, just before Germany invaded Poland, but twenty-two months later, much to Stalin’s astonishment, Germany invaded the Soviet Union. Louis Menand, The New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2023 And after the astonishment over the contract’s deferred-payment structure subsided, a new emotion hit Hachimura. Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 4 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'astonishment.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

astonish + -ment

First Known Use

1566, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of astonishment was in 1566

Dictionary Entries Near astonishment

Cite this Entry

“Astonishment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/astonishment. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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