marvel

noun mar·vel \ ˈmär-vəl \

Updated on: 10 Apr 2018

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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Examples of marvel in a Sentence

that new electric car really is a marvel

Recent Examples of marvel from the Web

The game will be played at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the $1.5 billion marvel with an enormous, halo-like video board ringing the top of the massive structure.

— paul newberry, courant.com, "Dungey Accounts For 5 TDs As Syracuse Thumps Central, 50-7," 2 Sep. 2017
My dad did not remark on the sculpture using the art school vocabulary of my former boyfriend, or marvel at the design in quite the same way.

— alana massey, Longreads, "How to Replace a Ghost," 31 Oct. 2017
The past century has seen the advent of such marvels as self-flushing mechanisms, loos with a view, and the entire epic category of Japanese toiletry.

— daniel arnold, Bon Appetit, "This Bar Has the Oldest, Grandest Urinals In New York City," 10 Oct. 2017
That development would mean a lot to the career of any journeyman, but especially to a marvel like Johnson.

— ben golliver and rob mahoney, SI.com, "Top 100 NBA Players of 2018: Nos. 100-51," 12 Sep. 2017
Owner of a face that’s one of the marvels of modern cinema, Bill Nighy can give even the most somber movie a comic bent.

— jeannette catsoulis, New York Times, "Review: In ‘The Limehouse Golem,’ Bawdy Limericks and Bloody Corpses," 7 Sep. 2017
Mechanical calculators are an engineering marvel unknown to most people.

— avery thompson, Popular Mechanics, "Get a Close Look at the World's Best Mechanical Calculator," 1 Sep. 2017
The psychic contortions that Trump must undergo in order to occupy both of these poles simultaneously are a marvel to behold.

— katy waldman, Slate Magazine, "Not the President’s Fault, but Exactly What He Wanted," 24 Mar. 2017
His career has been an underappreciated marvel for two decades.

— jon tayler, SI.com, "The Astros' World Series Victory is Redemption for the Deserving Carlos Beltran," 2 Nov. 2017

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

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First Known Use: 14th century

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