consternation
noun
Pearl Buck
Did you know?
If you’ve ever been flummoxed, befuddled, or even fuddled, you know a thing or two about consternation—but perhaps not all of it. Consternation and confusion are not synonymous, though it’s understandable that they are sometimes confused. Consternation refers not to confusion, but to a feeling of amazement or dismay that can lead to confusion, or otherwise hinder or stop someone in their tracks. And much like dismay, consternation is often used in constructions starting with “much to,” as in “much to their consternation, their teacher announced a pop quiz as soon as class started.” People also often “express” or “show” their consternation in various ways, whether with furrowed brow, mouth agog, or assorted mumblings and grumblings—visual and audible clues that they are working out just what to do next after being consternated.
Examples of consternation in a Sentence
Karen Breslau et al., Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2001
In the grimy market-places where so-called friendly intelligence services do their trading, tip-offs, like money, are laundered in all sorts of ways … . They can be blown up so as to cause consternation or tempered to encourage complacency.
—John le Carré, Granta 35, Spring 1991
The King was relaxing; his face had softened. Awful, to have to banish this hard-earned peace, burden him with a fresh worry. But better he should hear it from his loyalest baron, his own brother, than have the news blurted out to him by some idiot agent avid to cause a maximum of consternation.
—Colleen McCullough, The First Man in Rome, 1990
The candidate caused consternation among his supporters by changing positions on a key issue.
Much to her parents' consternation, she had decided to not go to college.
Rod Pyle, Space.com, 14 July 2025
For all of the consternation, negative narratives and dizzying gossip that have surrounded Juan Soto since the start of the season, the Mets superstar right fielder will end the first half of the 2025 campaign with numbers similar to what he’s posted in the first half of previous seasons.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 12 July 2025
Much of the consternation about AI's impact on work has been focused on tech jobs, especially as big employers like Microsoft and TikTok continue to generate national headlines when announcing layoffs.
—John Kell, Fortune, 9 July 2025
But there’s consternation among some Republicans that parts of the efforts are overly broad, overlapping, and that inquiries led by Congress could be overshadowed by the DOJ’s ability to better compel information and testimony.
—Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for consternation
Cite this Entry
“Consternation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consternation. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
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consternation
noun
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