marvel

noun mar·vel \ ˈmär-vəl \

|Updated on: 18 Jun 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

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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

This engineering marvel, NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity, has revolutionized our understanding of the red planet.

— National Geographic, "Building Blocks of Life Found on Mars," 7 June 2018
When the Brooklyn Bridge opened on May 24, 1883, its towers were the tallest structure in the country, and it was considered an engineering marvel of the kind that few Americans outside the big city would have seen in person.

— lily rothman, Time, "This Mysterious Long-Lost Film of the Brooklyn Bridge Wasn't Seen for a Century," 18 May 2018
The table is a marvel of construction to look at, with obstacles, bumpers, and working flippers.

— chaim gartenberg, The Verge, "With immense patience, you can make a pinball machine out of Lego," 15 May 2018
The aqueduct has been regarded as the engineering marvel of the canal.

— peter marteka, courant.com, "The Ruins Of An Engineering Wonder Along The Farmington River," 13 May 2018
On the northern reaches of Big Sur, just 15 miles south of Carmel, stop to take a shameless picture of the Bixby Bridge, a WPA-era engineering marvel made of concrete.

— mark ellwood, Condé Nast Traveler, "3 Days in Monterey and Big Sur," 16 Apr. 2018
The vast wealth of Saba—home to the biblical Queen of Sheba—funded impressive temples, cities, and engineering marvels.

— andrew lawler, Science | AAAS, "War savages ancient sites in Yemen and Iraq, destroying archaeological record," 10 Apr. 2018
In a commentary in Science, Ekaterina E. Heldwein, a virologist at Tufts University who was not involved in the study, explains that these capsids are one of nature’s great engineering marvels.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Herpes Is Kind of Beautiful, On the Molecular Level," 6 Apr. 2018
Yet the February storm also highlighted the shortcomings of a system billed as an engineering marvel and model for flood-prone communities throughout the nation.

— michael hawthorne, chicagotribune.com, "Even with $1 billion upgrade, Deep Tunnel swamped by winter storm as streets and basements flooded," 15 Mar. 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