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
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
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
The expectant mother let out a scream and looked directly into the camera in astonishment.
—Jordan Greene, Peoplemag, 25 Mar. 2024
Then there's the reveal of just how valuable some of these antiques are, to the astonishment of the owner.
—Madeline Boardman, EW.com, 22 Feb. 2024
How did a genre rooted in astonishment, weirdness, and wonder become a byword for the normative, the familiar, and the mundane?
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 9 Nov. 2023
Yet intertwined with this narrative of uneasy astonishment is an intriguing counterpoint.
—Cal Newport, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024
The stunned witnesses expressed their astonishment at the sight before them in the 25-second video.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 4 Feb. 2024
But even centrist Israeli officials expressed astonishment that the United States was pressing peace initiatives while the all-out war against Hamas was continuing.
—Dalia Dassa Kaye, Foreign Affairs, 1 Feb. 2024
The final score was an astonishment: Lions 59, Browns 14.
—Bill Morris, Detroit Free Press, 28 Jan. 2024
Basking in the eerie glow of a total solar eclipse has been described as what pure astonishment feels like.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 30 Jan. 2024
Jordan Greene, Peoplemag, 25 Mar. 2024
Then there's the reveal of just how valuable some of these antiques are, to the astonishment of the owner.
—Madeline Boardman, EW.com, 22 Feb. 2024
How did a genre rooted in astonishment, weirdness, and wonder become a byword for the normative, the familiar, and the mundane?
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 9 Nov. 2023
Yet intertwined with this narrative of uneasy astonishment is an intriguing counterpoint.
—Cal Newport, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024
The stunned witnesses expressed their astonishment at the sight before them in the 25-second video.
—Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 4 Feb. 2024
But even centrist Israeli officials expressed astonishment that the United States was pressing peace initiatives while the all-out war against Hamas was continuing.
—Dalia Dassa Kaye, Foreign Affairs, 1 Feb. 2024
The final score was an astonishment: Lions 59, Browns 14.
—Bill Morris, Detroit Free Press, 28 Jan. 2024
Basking in the eerie glow of a total solar eclipse has been described as what pure astonishment feels like.
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 30 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'astonishment.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1566, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Dictionary Entries Near astonishment
Cite this Entry
“Astonishment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/astonishment. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
More from Merriam-Webster on astonishment
Nglish: Translation of astonishment for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of astonishment for Arabic Speakers
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share