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.
An all-seeing Jorge Bosch is wholly convincing as the long-suffering Argentinian chairman who, at the end of his tether and to everyone’s astonishment, vanishes in desperation from the climactic discussion. David Benedict, Variety, 17 Jan. 2025 To Worthington's astonishment, Lambert sent him the result of their work. Marcus K. Dowling, The Tennessean, 4 Oct. 2024 Garcia's clip has been viewed over a million times and over a thousand TikTok users have commented with a mix of astonishment and worry for her. David Faris, Newsweek, 19 Jan. 2025 The image was born after her September 2024 presidential debate against Trump, where Harris peered at her opponent with a look of astonishment. Raven Maragh-Lloyd, The Conversation, 15 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

Dictionary Entries Near astonishment

Cite this Entry

“Astonishment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/astonishment. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.

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