consternation
noun
Pearl Buck
Did you know?
If you’ve ever been flummoxed, befuddled, or even fuddled, you know a thing or two about consternation—but perhaps not all of it. Consternation and confusion are not synonymous, though it’s understandable that they are sometimes confused. Consternation refers not to confusion, but to a feeling of amazement or dismay that can lead to confusion, or otherwise hinder or stop someone in their tracks. And much like dismay, consternation is often used in constructions starting with “much to,” as in “much to their consternation, their teacher announced a pop quiz as soon as class started.” People also often “express” or “show” their consternation in various ways, whether with furrowed brow, mouth agog, or assorted mumblings and grumblings—visual and audible clues that they are working out just what to do next after being consternated.
Examples of consternation in a Sentence
Karen Breslau et al., Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2001
In the grimy market-places where so-called friendly intelligence services do their trading, tip-offs, like money, are laundered in all sorts of ways … . They can be blown up so as to cause consternation or tempered to encourage complacency.
—John le Carré, Granta 35, Spring 1991
The King was relaxing; his face had softened. Awful, to have to banish this hard-earned peace, burden him with a fresh worry. But better he should hear it from his loyalest baron, his own brother, than have the news blurted out to him by some idiot agent avid to cause a maximum of consternation.
—Colleen McCullough, The First Man in Rome, 1990
The candidate caused consternation among his supporters by changing positions on a key issue.
Much to her parents' consternation, she had decided to not go to college.
Ted Johnson, Deadline, 2 July 2025
In recent years there has been a lot of consternation around the question of who really belongs in this country and who may not quite have a place.
—Dana Taylor, USA Today, 2 July 2025
Many side streets stay untouched, a point of consternation over the years for residents.
—John Tuohy, IndyStar, 2 July 2025
The fate of the now-defunct golf course has been a source of consternation for residents in East San Jose, as the site was never envisioned for significant residential development, raising questions about how such an ambitious project could impact the surrounding single-family neighborhoods.
—Devan Patel, Mercury News, 28 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for consternation
Cite this Entry
“Consternation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consternation. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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consternation
noun
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