astonishment
noun
as·ton·ish·ment
ə-ˈstä-nish-mənt 
1
a
: a feeling of great surprise and wonder : the state of being astonished : amazement
The garden's beauty filled me with astonishment.
b
2
: something that astonishes : a cause of amazement or wonder
Everything that he had seen so far … had been so astonishing that he began to wonder whether there could possibly be any more astonishments left.—
Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl
Examples of astonishment in a Sentence
The garden's beauty filled me with astonishment.
A crowd watched in astonishment as he jumped from the bridge.
They discovered to their astonishment that their car had been stolen.
Much to the astonishment of her friends and family, she left school to pursue her acting career.
Recent Examples on the Web
Vlad's passion for aiding people in financial betterment and his astonishment at the ease with which individuals overpay taxes fuel his commitment to his profession.
—William Mullane, USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024
Leanne Morgan's new book, What In the World?! came out of asking just that — and now readers can join the comedian in head-shaking astonishment at her unlikely rise to fame.
—Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
Martin himself isn’t even sure what to make of it, deflecting questions about his ascent with equal parts self-deprecating digs and deer-in-headlights astonishment.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 1 Apr. 2024
There are heartstrings to be pulled, tears to elicit, astonishment to inspire, and this is the musical to do it….
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2024
The expectant mother let out a scream and looked directly into the camera in astonishment.
—Jordan Greene, Peoplemag, 25 Mar. 2024
Then there's the reveal of just how valuable some of these antiques are, to the astonishment of the owner.
—Madeline Boardman, EW.com, 22 Feb. 2024
How did a genre rooted in astonishment, weirdness, and wonder become a byword for the normative, the familiar, and the mundane?
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 9 Nov. 2023
Yet intertwined with this narrative of uneasy astonishment is an intriguing counterpoint.
—Cal Newport, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024
William Mullane, USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024
Leanne Morgan's new book, What In the World?! came out of asking just that — and now readers can join the comedian in head-shaking astonishment at her unlikely rise to fame.
—Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
Martin himself isn’t even sure what to make of it, deflecting questions about his ascent with equal parts self-deprecating digs and deer-in-headlights astonishment.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 1 Apr. 2024
There are heartstrings to be pulled, tears to elicit, astonishment to inspire, and this is the musical to do it….
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 21 Mar. 2024
The expectant mother let out a scream and looked directly into the camera in astonishment.
—Jordan Greene, Peoplemag, 25 Mar. 2024
Then there's the reveal of just how valuable some of these antiques are, to the astonishment of the owner.
—Madeline Boardman, EW.com, 22 Feb. 2024
How did a genre rooted in astonishment, weirdness, and wonder become a byword for the normative, the familiar, and the mundane?
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 9 Nov. 2023
Yet intertwined with this narrative of uneasy astonishment is an intriguing counterpoint.
—Cal Newport, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'astonishment.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near astonishment
Cite this Entry
“Astonishment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/astonishment. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
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