marvel

noun mar·vel \ ˈmär-vəl \

|Updated on: 13 Aug 2018

Examples: marvel in a Sentence

Definition of marvel

1 : one that causes wonder or astonishment

her talent is a marvel to behold

… with that marvel of architecture before our eyes …
—Martha Kean

2 : intense surprise or interest : astonishment

… his voice filled with marvel …
—Mordecai Richler

See marvel defined for English-language learners

See marvel defined for kids

Examples of marvel in a Sentence

that new electric car really is a marvel

Recent Examples of marvel from the Web

The halting camaraderie that develops among them is a marvel of ensemble acting, with dialogue punctuated by the playwright’s lacerating wit.

— james hebert, sandiegouniontribune.com, "A struggle to cling to identity is at heart of La Jolla Playhouse's quietly moving 'Queens'," 10 July 2018
Like Joffer searching for love, T'Challa must decide whether to end centuries of isolationism and reveal his country's technological marvels to the world.

— matthew wilson, USA TODAY, "How 'Coming To America' paved the way for 'Black Panther' 30 years ago," 29 June 2018
Glittering in the sun during the day, glowing with waves of color at night, this 40-foot-tall marvel depicts a mother humpback whale and her calf in a gravity-defying dive.

— harriot manley, SFChronicle.com, "Burning Man comes and goes, but the experience is year-round in Reno," 28 June 2018
Cain's Ballroom, built in 1924 as a garage, is a national marvel among music venues.

— christopher reynolds, latimes.com, "Rockers, punks and cowboys find a rowdy haven at Cain's in Tulsa, Okla.," 14 June 2018
Yes, traveling to and between Russia’s 11 World Cup host cities should provide marvels aplenty.

— brian barrett, WIRED, "Going To the World Cup? Leave the Laptop at Home," 14 June 2018
If outsiders expose them to vaccinations, antibiotics, and DNA testing, what other marvels should the Indians be shown?

— bruno garcez, San Francisco Chronicle, "‘The Third Bank of the River,’ by Chris Feliciano Arnold," 14 June 2018
Then there’s Dario Argento’s outrageously opulent 1977 Suspiria, a wiggy marvel for its production design alone.

— stephanie zacharek, Time, "The Artfully Made Hereditary Is the Latest Horror Film to Elevate the Genre," 7 June 2018
At the same time Michigan produced cultural marvels — Motown Music, great architecture by designers like Eero Saarinen and Minoru Yamasaki, iconic furniture designs by companies like Herman Miller and Steelcase.

— john gallagher, Detroit Free Press, "Why can't Michigan solve the biggest problems like it once did?," 30 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'marvel.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of marvel

Middle English merveile, mervayle "something causing astonishment, miracle," borrowed from Anglo-French merveille, going back to Gallo-Romance *merevelia, altered from Latin mīrābilia, noun derivative from neuter plural of mīrābilis "causing wonder, remarkable," from mīrārī "to be surprised, look with wonder at" + -bilis "capable of (acting or being acted upon)" — more at admire, -able

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

marvel Synonyms

Synonyms

caution, flash, miracle, phenomenon, portent, prodigy, sensation, splendor, wonder;

Related Words

curiosity, sight, spectacle;

beauty, corker, crackerjack (also crackajack), dandy, jim-dandy, knockout;

apparition, appearance;

marvel

verb

Definition of marvel

marveled or marvelled; marveling or marvelling play \ˈmärv-liŋ, ˈmär-və-\

intransitive verb

: to become filled with surprise, wonder, or amazed curiosity

marveled at the magician's skill

transitive verb

: to feel astonishment or perplexity at or about

marveled that they had escaped

See marvel defined for English-language learners

Examples of marvel in a Sentence

The doctors marveled that anyone could recover so quickly.

Recent Examples of marvel from the Web

Or is the point here to simply marvel at the general sense of fatal foreboding that seems to be in the very soil of Castle Rock?

— refinery29.com, "Handmaid’s Tale," 13 July 2018
Some come to marvel at the architecture of this 1926 church built on a glacial hill, others as pilgrimage, all touched by the peace and beauty of this place.

— carla minsky, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Travel is Good for the Soul," 10 June 2018
Well into the 17th century, marvels such as comets and meteors were viewed through the prism of religion—as portents from the gods and, as such, interpreted as holy communications.

— greg eghigian, Smithsonian, "How UFO Reports Change With the Technology of the Times," 2 Feb. 2018
To learn more about barn owls and to marvel at their beauty, watch the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's Barn Owl Nest Cam, stationed in Texas.

— leah zerbe, Good Housekeeping, "How To Attract Owls To Your Backyard," 14 Aug. 2015
So, for example, if runners stop marveling at the Air Zoom Pegasus 35 on the NikePlus app and fall in love with the Epic React Flyknit instead, the stock will be quickly rotated to make sure more Epics are ready for buyers.

— david pan, USA TODAY, "Can you 'crowdsource' a store? Nike is about to find out," 12 July 2018
Tracy Morgan is spending a lot of time in Brooklyn, marveling at the gentrification and getting comedy ideas.

— kimberly s. johnson, WSJ, "Tracy Morgan: ‘It’s All Love’ in His Old Brooklyn Neighborhood," 1 July 2018
Toto's Steve Lukather marveled earlier this year upon the 35th anniversary of the song's Hot 100 coronation .

— xander zellner, Billboard, "Weezer Returns to Hot 100 With Fan-Inspired Cover of Toto's 'Africa'," 13 June 2018
War crimes and human rights violations aside, Trump couldn’t stop marveling at North Korea’s real estate potential.

— kaylen ralph, Teen Vogue, "The Most Ridiculous Moments From the Trump-Kim Summit," 12 June 2018