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
To his astonishment, the quality of the backpack from Temu surpassed that of his previous one.
—Molly Peck, Journal Sentinel, 2 Sep. 2023
For instance, one was spotted just last week dashing across the Colorado night sky to the astonishment of many people who reported the sighting.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 5 Sep. 2023
And yet, right away, there’s a case to be made in the ensuing essays—further expectations to be upended, new astonishments to be revealed.
—Jonathan Franzen, The New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2023
To the astonishment of some, the Australia-Denmark World Cup game drew a larger TV audience than the most recent grand final in each of those leagues.
—Frances Vinall, Washington Post, 10 Aug. 2023
And in this world, women are shown to be subservient to men, much to the puzzlement of Barbie and the pleased astonishment of Ken.
—Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 July 2023
Some who accompany him overseas express astonishment at his ability to keep up.
—Zolan Kanno-Youngs, New York Times, 4 June 2023
At the end, Drake revealed himself to the astonishment of the interviewees.
—Maria Yagoda, Peoplemag, 31 Mar. 2023
In another peculiar turn, police revealed that Farias chose to return home with his mother to the astonishment of several reporters.
—Rebecca Rosenberg, Fox News, 6 July 2023
See More
Molly Peck, Journal Sentinel, 2 Sep. 2023
For instance, one was spotted just last week dashing across the Colorado night sky to the astonishment of many people who reported the sighting.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 5 Sep. 2023
And yet, right away, there’s a case to be made in the ensuing essays—further expectations to be upended, new astonishments to be revealed.
—Jonathan Franzen, The New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2023
To the astonishment of some, the Australia-Denmark World Cup game drew a larger TV audience than the most recent grand final in each of those leagues.
—Frances Vinall, Washington Post, 10 Aug. 2023
And in this world, women are shown to be subservient to men, much to the puzzlement of Barbie and the pleased astonishment of Ken.
—Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 July 2023
Some who accompany him overseas express astonishment at his ability to keep up.
—Zolan Kanno-Youngs, New York Times, 4 June 2023
At the end, Drake revealed himself to the astonishment of the interviewees.
—Maria Yagoda, Peoplemag, 31 Mar. 2023
In another peculiar turn, police revealed that Farias chose to return home with his mother to the astonishment of several reporters.
—Rebecca Rosenberg, Fox News, 6 July 2023
See More
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 7 Dec. 2023.
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More from Merriam-Webster on astonishment
Nglish: Translation of astonishment for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of astonishment for Arabic Speakers
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