How to Use astonishment in a Sentence

astonishment

noun
  • A crowd watched in astonishment as he jumped from the bridge.
  • Much to the astonishment of her friends and family, she left school to pursue her acting career.
  • They discovered to their astonishment that their car had been stolen.
  • The garden's beauty filled me with astonishment.
  • Oh my god,’ and put her hands over her mouth in astonishment.
    — Shawn McFarland, courant.com, 4 June 2019
  • To the astonishment of the cops, this time the patrons fought back.
    — Louis Menand, The New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2021
  • Here's a sample of his astonishment as a catch-phrase was born.
    — Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 25 Oct. 2017
  • To their astonishment, a voice screamed back from someplace far off.
    — Gregory Thomas, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Dec. 2022
  • The deer regarded me as a god would, eased by my astonishment.
    — Ama Codjoe, The New York Review of Books, 4 May 2023
  • To their astonishment, the box opened to reveal a trove of centuries-old gold coins.
    — Nora McGreevy, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Sep. 2021
  • But to their astonishment, there hadn’t been an update for nearly a month.
    — Author: Mary Beth Sheridan, Anchorage Daily News, 3 May 2021
  • To his astonishment, among them were a great number of women.
    — Longreads, 8 May 2018
  • His eyes carry the astonishment of a man who never wanted to be right.
    — Alaa Alqaisi august 13, Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2025
  • The offer drew a look of happy astonishment from the couple and cheers from the crowd.
    — Maria Carter, Country Living, 18 July 2017
  • One of the astonishments of these times is just how large a half-century has become.
    — David Von Drehle, Twin Cities, 22 July 2019
  • To the astonishment of the naysayers, her numbers were right.
    — Elizabeth Winkler, WSJ, 3 Jan. 2020
  • When the astonishment ebbs, the past clouds over into itself.
    — Roger Rosenblatt, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2018
  • Harris smiled broadly and put her hand to her chin, nodding in mock astonishment at that claim.
    — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2024
  • To his astonishment, the pilot beer proved more than palatable.
    — Emma Simmons, al.com, 18 June 2019
  • Entering the world of the great apes leaves you with a feeling of astonishment.
    — The Salt Lake Tribune, 17 Mar. 2022
  • To my astonishment, the same tone echoed back from a wooden molding in the classroom.
    — Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 May 2022
  • Shadow, taking this in, lets a sense of astonishment eke out from behind his cool, steely gaze.
    — Eric Farwell, GQ, 1 May 2017
  • Olivia Miles makes the types of nifty passes that can leave fans gasping in astonishment.
    — CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026
  • That’s why teammates stood in astonishment, except for one.
    — Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 1 June 2026
  • Hjerson, to Klara’s astonishment and glee, is a huge fan of Klara’s work.
    — John Anderson, WSJ, 29 Nov. 2022
  • Basking in the eerie glow of a total solar eclipse has been described as what pure astonishment feels like.
    — Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 30 Jan. 2024
  • But to the astonishment of many experts, including us, that day has arrived—at least in the lab.
    — Harvard Business Review, 11 Dec. 2025
  • 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
  • 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
  • To my astonishment, my father did not react.
    — Madhuri Vijay, New Yorker, 16 Nov. 2025

Some of 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.

Last Updated: