as in astonishment
the state of being strongly impressed by something unexpected or unusual
the look of startlement in her eyes when she found herself at the wedding seated next to her ex-boyfriend
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for startlement
Noun
-
Many people who knew Mamdani before his run for mayor confessed to some astonishment at the success of his campaign.—
Eric Lach,
New Yorker,
9 Oct. 2025 -
There was a mix of astonishment and reservation in Kyiv on Wednesday — contrasted with bitter dismissal and some mocking defiance in Moscow — after President Donald Trump said Ukraine could reclaim all of its territory, a dramatic change in rhetoric on the war.—
Freddie Clayton,
NBC news,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Sudden macroeconomic shocks or trend reversals can push prices well below the EMA, leading to mark-to-market losses or assignments on declining stocks.—
Michael Khouw,
CNBC,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Eight years on, FII has evolved from a stage for shock-and-awe reveals into a reflection of Saudi Arabia’s maturing economic strategy, and of Public Investment Fund’s (PIF) central role in driving it.—
Wael Mahdi,
semafor.com,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
More than six months later, a reply arrived in the mail—sparking amazement and confusion in her household, and fascination among viewers online.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Teammates Curry and Horford, watching in street clothes from the bench, looked on in equal parts disbelief and amazement.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Reactions to the extraordinary news spread quickly, ranging from surprise to anger at the league itself, according to five people who work inside or closely with the NBA, all of whom were granted anonymity because they were not permitted to speak publicly about the matter.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
24 Oct. 2025
-
There might be other surprise memories of that nature.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Oct. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Startlement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/startlement. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share