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.
Confidential and Memento, Pearce is, to the astonishment of many, celebrating his very first Oscar nomination this year, with his terrifying supporting turn in The Brutalist. Emma Specter, Vogue, 19 Feb. 2025 In her episode, Roan recreates the cover of her 2023 album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, all while going long about her influences and her astonishment at her meteoric rise to stardom. James Factora, Them, 6 Feb. 2025 In fact, his age was a major contributor to the collective astonishment felt throughout the sport. Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 4 Feb. 2025 ProPublica has heard from dozens of voters who expressed astonishment and anger at state appeals court Judge Jefferson Griffin’s ongoing attempts to cancel their ballots. Doug Bock Clark, ProPublica, 27 Jan. 2025 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

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Cite this Entry

“Astonishment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/astonishment. Accessed 2 Mar. 2025.

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