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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The flip side of that is the sense of astonishment at how the history that has been written about Dial does not reflect his actual achievement, and essentially, not only limits it but imagines things that don’t actually fit. Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 21 Oct. 2024 In the fall of 2016, the editors of The New Yorker published an enthusiastic endorsement of Hillary Clinton: On November 8th, barring some astonishment, the people of the United States will, after two hundred and forty years, send a woman to the White House. The Editors, The New Yorker, 29 Sep. 2024 The two travelers from New Orleans touched their fingers to the reddish-orange chile powder on a napkin, put it on their tongues, and then looked at each other in astonishment. John Burnett, NPR, 21 Sep. 2024 Still, Hudson is like every mother, catching herself staring at her now teenager in astonishment. Essence, 19 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for astonishment 

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 21 Nov. 2024.

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