Astonishment Meaning
/əˈstɒnɪʃmənt/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounThe feeling or experience of being astonished; great surprise.
nounSomething very surprising.
Sentence Examples
To my astonishment, my money was gone.
Between astonishment and sorrow, she could not speak a word.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
To everyone's ____, the shy student gave a flawless speech in front of the entire school.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
To my great ____, the tiny kitten climbed all the way up the tree.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree English astonish Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥ Proto-Indo-European *-mn̥tom Proto-Italic *-mentom Latin -mentum Old French -mentbor. Middle English -ment English -ment English astonishment From astonish + -ment.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"[…] he dismissed all his Attendants with a turn of his Finger; at which, to my great astonishment, they vanished in an Instant, like Visions in a Dream, when we awake on a sudden."
— 1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC, (please specify |part=I to IV), page 98:
"At these words, Marianne’s eyes expressed the astonishment, which her lips could not utter."
— 1811, [Jane Austen], chapter 1, in Sense and Sensibility […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: […] C[harles] Roworth, […], and published by T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 14:
"Marilla’s astonishment could not have been greater if Matthew had expressed a predilection for standing on his head."
— 1908, Lucy Maud Montgomery, chapter 3, in Anne of Green Gables, Boston: L.C. Page, page 41:
"Imagine my astonishment when, reaching the bustling street, every Englishwoman I look on is also attired in a dowdy housecoat."
— 2004, Andrea Levy, chapter 33, in Small Island, London: Review, page 330:
"To find Ned Silverton among the habitual frequenters of Mrs. Hatch’s drawing-room was one of Lily’s first astonishments;"
— 1905, Edith Wharton, The House of Mirth, New York: Scribner, Book 2, Chapter 9, p. 444:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
To everyone's ____, the shy student gave a flawless speech in front of the entire school.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
To my great ____, the tiny kitten climbed all the way up the tree.