startlement

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

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for startlement
Noun
  • The tournament brought more than a million visitors into the country, and a striking number of them have spent the trip documenting their astonishment at things Americans stopped seeing years ago.
    Vibhas Ratanjee, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026
  • To the astonishment of many a Bobhead, Dylan’s guitarist Doug Lancio was replaced in Santa Barbara by Julian Lage, the youngish jazz star known for his work with Gary Burton and John Zorn.
    Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2026
Noun
  • Çayoğlu mentions his amazement at meeting fans in Italy and Argentina, representations of their work crossing borders.
    Kambole Campbell, Variety, 7 July 2026
  • The two, alongside friend Cameron Munro, were among the thousands of Scottish supporters who descended on Fenway Park earlier this week, to the amazement and delight of many Red Sox fans.
    Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 20 June 2026
Noun
  • That said, France were favourites in the last final and Argentina beat them, albeit by the finest of margins, recovering from the shock of Kylian Mbappe’s hat-trick before holding their nerve to win the penalty shootout.
    Oliver Kay, New York Times, 19 July 2026
  • My work became not just watching the Zeitgeist within the company but learning how to contain it—reading through messages, distilling the emotional temperature, and crafting executive responses meant to absorb shock and restore calm.
    Claire Stapleton, New Yorker, 18 July 2026
Noun
  • Iron Mountain, a new data center under construction in the predominantly Black neighborhood of Westview, took residents by surprise.
    Alexandra Phelps, Miami Herald, 17 July 2026
  • However, Chad Nelsen, CEO of the Surfrider Foundation, argues that California’s beach access laws and tradition are well established and should have come as no surprise to someone capable of purchasing 53 acres of prime shoreline.
    Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 16 July 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.

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“Startlement.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/startlement. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

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