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

For Córdova, that path began with a moment of astonishment: watching a television program about neutron stars as a young woman, she was struck by the immensity of the cosmos and felt the pull of a question that would guide her for a lifetime — how does the universe work? —John Drake, Forbes.com, 2 June 2025

Then, to my astonishment, two slender blue-white streaks appeared, faintly at first, then slightly brighter, like a pair of angel wings peeking through some wondrous celestial realm. —Blane Bachelor, AFAR Media, 9 Apr. 2025

Plant finds his voice amid an astonishment of hairstyles. —Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2025

Among those who watched in astonishment at the fundraiser were New Hampshire Democratic U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster and California U.S. Rep. Julia Brownley. —Joey Garrison, USA Today, 15 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

astonish + -ment

First Known Use

1566, in the meaning defined at sense 1a