amazement
Americannoun
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overwhelming surprise or astonishment.
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Obsolete.
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stupefaction; frenzy.
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noun
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incredulity or great astonishment; complete wonder or surprise
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obsolete bewilderment or consternation
Etymology
Origin of amazement
Explanation
Amazement is what you feel when you're shocked or astonished by something. When you feel amazement, you can't quite believe what you're seeing or hearing. To amaze someone is to shock, surprise, and astonish them. Amazement is the emotion produced by truly unusual and surprising things. A juggler throwing around fire can produce amazement. A child reciting thousands of digits of Pi will create amazement. Parents feel amazement at the birth of their children. This is a strong feeling resulting from incredible events. No one feels amazement about average, boring stuff.
Vocabulary lists containing amazement
Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 2
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"The Tempest," Vocabulary from Acts 1 and 2
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"The Tragedy of Hamlet," Vocabulary from Act 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It's clutching at straws to try to look for France weaknesses because at times you watch open-mouthed in amazement when the front four is in full flow.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
But there was Mr. Pelley, on camera, expressing amazement at this alleged dastardly deed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
“So I’m a little in amazement about just the way life works in that sense.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2026
By now the news of their arrival had reached the town, and the quays were lined with people cheering in amazement at the return of the Corps of Discovery.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
There was Bronden, clapping her hands, and the millers, Val and Ellis, staring at each other in amazement.
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
