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

Vlad's passion for aiding people in financial betterment and his astonishment at the ease with which individuals overpay taxes fuel his commitment to his profession. —William Mullane, USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024

Leanne Morgan's new book, What In the World?! came out of asking just that — and now readers can join the comedian in head-shaking astonishment at her unlikely rise to fame. —Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

astonish + -ment

First Known Use

1566, in the meaning defined at sense 1a