astonishment
/əˈstɒnɪʃmənt/ (bre, ipa) · /əˈstɑːnɪʃmənt/ (ame, ipa) · /ə-ˈstä-nish-mənt/ (ame, mw)
astonishment — noun
1. the strong reaction you feel when something happens that you did not expect at a
the strong reaction you feel when something happens that you did not expect at all and can hardly believe.
Theo stared at the empty fish tank in astonishment, unable to guess where the goldfish had gone.
in astonishment after an unexpected discovery
To my astonishment, the old wooden door swung open by itself when I stepped onto the porch.
to one's astonishment fronting the surprising event
A look of pure astonishment crossed Mr. Vesna's face when his students sang happy birthday in Japanese.
The audience watched in stunned astonishment as the magician pulled a live rabbit from a folded newspaper.
Tariq's mother gasped with astonishment when she heard that her daughter had won the city chess tournament.
- amazement
very close in meaning; slightly more positive, often mixed with admiration
- shock
implies a sudden jolt, often unpleasant; astonishment is more neutral
- disbelief
focuses on refusal to accept the news; astonishment focuses on the surprise itself
- wonder
softer, often awe at something beautiful; astonishment is sharper and more abrupt
- indifference
lack of any reaction at all
- composure
remaining calm rather than visibly surprised
文法句型
in astonishment
to one's astonishment
with astonishment
用法筆記
Almost always uncountable. Most common in fixed frames: 'in astonishment', 'to one's astonishment', 'with astonishment', and 'a look/expression of astonishment'. Stronger than 'surprise' — the speaker felt the news or event was almost unbelievable.