wonder

[wuhn-der]

verb (used without object)

1. to think or speculate curiously.

   to wonder about the origin of the solar system.

   Synonyms: question, ponder, meditate, conjecture

2. to be filled with admiration, amazement, or awe; marvel (often followed byat ).

   He wondered at her composure in such a crisis.

3. to doubt.

   I wonder if she'll really get here.

verb (used with object)

1. to speculate curiously or be curious about; be curious to know.

   to wonder what happened.

2. to feel wonder at.

   I wonder that you went.

   Synonyms: marvel

noun

1. something strange and surprising; a cause of surprise, astonishment, or admiration.

   That building is a wonder. It is a wonder he declined such an offer.

2. the emotion excited by what is strange and surprising; a feeling of surprised or puzzled interest, sometimes tinged with admiration.

   He felt wonder at seeing the Grand Canyon.

   Synonyms: awe, bewilderment, amazement, astonishment, surprise

3. miraculous deed or event; remarkable phenomenon.

wonder

¹

/ ˈwʌndə /

noun

1. the feeling excited by something strange; a mixture of surprise, curiosity, and sometimes awe

2. something that causes such a feeling, such as a miracle

3. See Seven Wonders of the World

4. (modifier) exciting wonder by virtue of spectacular results achieved, feats performed, etc

   a wonder drug

   a wonder horse

5. to achieve spectacularly fine results

6. surprisingly or amazingly

7. a subject that arouses general surprise or public interest for a short time

8. (sentence connector) (I am) not surprised at all (that)

   no wonder he couldn't come

9. (sentence connector) (I am) hardly surprised (that)

   small wonder he couldn't make it tonight

verb

1. to indulge in speculative inquiry, often accompanied by an element of doubt (concerning something)

   I wondered about what she said

   I wonder what happened

2. to be amazed (at something)

   I wonder at your impudence

Wonder

²

/ ˈwʌndə /

noun

1. Stevie. real name Steveland Judkins Morris. born 1950, US Motown singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. His recordings include Up-Tight (1966), "Superstition" (1972), Innervisions (1973), Songs in the Key of Life (1976), and "I Just Called to Say I Love You" (1985)

Other Word Forms

• wonderer noun
• wonderless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of wonder¹

First recorded before 900; (noun) Middle English; Old English wundor; cognate with Dutch wonder, German Wunder, Old Norse undr; (verb) Middle English wonderen, Old English wundrian, derivative of the noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of wonder¹

Old English wundor; related to Old Saxon wundar, Old Norse undr, German Wunder

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. for a wonder, as the reverse of what might be expected; surprisingly.

   For a wonder, they worked hard all day.

More idioms and phrases containing wonder

• for a wonder
• no wonder
• work wonders

Example Sentences

Johansson’s direction is serviceable if unremarkable, and one has to wonder why this particular script spoke to her.

From Los Angeles Times

"That was obviously quite unusual for a Scottish soldier. I wondered if I could use those buttons to try and make an identification," she said.

From BBC

Osit wants us to leave the theater chewing over these quandaries, and he’s even willing to let us wonder whether his own movie is a net-positive on the world.

From Los Angeles Times

That said, there’s reason to wonder how long the two station groups can hold out against ABC and Disney – a new Jimmy Kimmel Test of sorts.

From Salon

Again, it's hard to know why he is being reprimanded but some have wondered if it's the underlying message in his broadcasts - in an unfair world, you must make only practical choices.

From BBC

Related Words

• admiration 
• astonishment 
• awe 
• bewilderment 
• confusion 
• curiosity 
• doubt 
• fascination 
• fear 
• reverence 
• shock 
• skepticism 
• surprise 
• uncertainty