astonishment

noun

as·​ton·​ish·​ment ə-ˈstä-nish-mənt 

1

a

: a feeling of great surprise and wonder : the state of being astonished : amazement

The garden's beauty filled me with astonishment.

b

: consternation

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

Synonyms

• admiration
• amazement
• awe
• wonder
• wonderment

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

After seven episodes of pained teeth-gritting and wide-eyed astonishment, he’s found closure in confronting the man who killed his father (or not) and finding only a weak old guy too sickly to punch. —Eliana Dockterman, Time, 4 Apr. 2025

Curiosity and astonishment: these have been recurring themes in Quenda’s journey to this point. —Jack Lang, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025

The 33rd annual Cushing’s Crossing happens on Saturday, May 3rd, and spectating is free — and highly recommended for belly laughs and general astonishment. —Kim Westerman, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025

The notion that UFOs might represent encounters with extraterrestrial life or other extraordinary entities continues to elicit astonishment among the general public. —David Chauvet, JSTOR Daily, 26 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

astonish + -ment

First Known Use

1566, in the meaning defined at sense 1a