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
-
To our astonishment, what had seemed during fieldwork to be a single massive pile of ash was in fact a layered series of burning events.—
Elizabeth Sawchuk,
The Conversation,
1 Jan. 2026 -
Express your astonishment at being selected and your heartfelt desire to go for it.—
Harriette Cole,
Mercury News,
30 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Many prominent sports figures took to social media to express their amazement of Indiana's unprecedented dominance during and after their win over Oregon.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Just like my star-bathing ritual, snow-watching elicits that sense of calm and amazement.—
Stephanie Vermillion,
Outside,
29 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Whenever using space heaters in a bathroom or kitchen, take all precautions to reduce the risk of electric shock whether that's positioning your heater away from water sources like sinks and showers.—
Shivani Vyas,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 Jan. 2026
-
While Owens’ retirement was a bit of a shock at first, Moore said the new board and committee volunteers are super excited about what is possible for the center.—
Karen Billing,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Half the enjoyment of these toys is being able to carefully break open the egg to reveal the surprise creature inside.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The design from Takeshi Kata is intensifying hyper-realistic and comes with a surprise sting in its tail, not to mention some gorgeous vistas from the great Chicago lighting designer Heather Gilbert, who send shafts of light into the play’s motel room of the paranoid.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
9 Jan. 2026
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 17 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
