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 of astonishment

• amazement
• admiration
• 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

But to the astonishment of many experts, including us, that day has arrived—at least in the lab. —Harvard Business Review, 11 Dec. 2025

To my astonishment, my father did not react. —Madhuri Vijay, New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2025

The image quickly drew astonishment and amusement from Reddit users, who could not believe the apparent lack of awareness—or concern—by the neighbors responsible. —Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025

Moments later, to her astonishment, Ducky climbed onto the front seat and gave a clear, unmistakable alert. —Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 26 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

astonish + -ment

First Known Use

1566, in the meaning defined at sense 1a