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 DahlExamples 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
Reflecting on the news that Lawrence solved the mystery, Summer House star Jesse Solomon expressed total astonishment.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 10 June 2026
The base had a movie theater and a shopping center, and the house, to his astonishment, had a basement.
—Clint Smith, The Atlantic, 9 June 2026
Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor, then 12, sitting just out of the camera’s view and watching in astonishment.
—John Blake, CNN Money, 9 June 2026
Walker embodies Alice’s anguish, anger, and astonishment without forgoing the messy nature of a character whose issues run deeper than a single relationship.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 8 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for astonishment
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Bethy Squires, Vulture, 10 June 2026
The base had a movie theater and a shopping center, and the house, to his astonishment, had a basement.
—Clint Smith, The Atlantic, 9 June 2026
Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor, then 12, sitting just out of the camera’s view and watching in astonishment.
—John Blake, CNN Money, 9 June 2026
Walker embodies Alice’s anguish, anger, and astonishment without forgoing the messy nature of a character whose issues run deeper than a single relationship.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 8 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for astonishment
Cite this Entry
“Astonishment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/astonishment. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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