marvel

1 of 2

noun

mar·​vel ˈmär-vəl How to pronounce marvel (audio)
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 marvelMordecai Richler

marvel

2 of 2

verb

marveled or marvelled; marveling or marvelling ˈmärv-liŋ How to pronounce marvel (audio)
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

Examples of marvel in a Sentence

Noun that new electric car really is a marvel Verb The doctors marveled that anyone could recover so quickly.
Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
Jacques Wei Jacques Wei brought a slice of 1980s Paris to Shanghai with a show set at Yangtze Hotel — a 1930s architecture marvel with grand modernist wall carvings against Chinese gateways, a mix-and-match glamour that has come to define the vitality of the five-year-old brand. Denni Hu, Footwear News, 17 Oct. 2025 Kiss was especially popular in the mid-1970s, selling tens of millions of albums and licensing its iconic look to become a marketing marvel. Dave Smith, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
The Trapped in Paradise actor then marveled at how the artist revolutionized contemporary pop music. Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025 He’s physically torn between love and death, marveling at the soul-crushing power of both. Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for marvel

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

Verb

Middle English merveilen, mervaylen, borrowed from Anglo-French merveiller, derivative of merveille marvel entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of marvel was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Marvel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/marvel. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

marvel

1 of 2 noun
mar·​vel ˈmär-vəl How to pronounce marvel (audio)
: one that causes wonder or astonishment

marvel

2 of 2 verb
marveled or marvelled; marveling or marvelling ˈmärv-(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce marvel (audio)
: to become filled with surprise or astonishment
marveled at the magician's skill

More from Merriam-Webster on marvel

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