marvel

[ mahr-vuhl ]
See synonyms for: marvelmarveledmarvelingmarvelled on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. something that causes wonder, admiration, or astonishment; a wonderful thing; a wonder or prodigy: The new bridge is an engineering marvel.

  2. Archaic. the feeling of wonder; astonishment.

verb (used with object),mar·veled, mar·vel·ing or (especially British) mar·velled, mar·vel·ling.
  1. to wonder at (usually followed by a clause as object): I marvel that you were able to succeed against such odds.

  2. to wonder or be curious about (usually followed by a clause as object): A child marvels that the stars can be.

verb (used without object),mar·veled, mar·vel·ing or (especially British) mar·velled, mar·vel·ling.
  1. to be filled with wonder, admiration, or astonishment, as at something surprising or extraordinary: I marvel at your courage.

Origin of marvel

1
1250–1300; Middle English mervel<Old French merveil(l)e<Late Latin mīrābilia marvels, noun use of neuter plural of Latin mīrābilis marvelous. See admirable

Other words from marvel

  • mar·vel·ment, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use marvel in a sentence

  • As a matter of fact, that's just what Gibbs was thinking, and he looked sharply at Letitia, marveling at her cleverness.

    In the Onyx Lobby | Carolyn Wells
  • I have been patient and tolerant, marveling too much at thy insolence to be rightly angered.

  • I read it first when I was a cub pilot, read it with fear and hesitation, but marveling at its fearlessness and wonderful power.

  • Lovingly, tenderly, discerningly, marveling and absorbed and deeply fascinated I looked at Me in the mirror.

    I, Mary MacLane | Mary MacLane
  • So he wandered about the streets at night, marveling at the sights he saw, or staying at home in his little room.

    The "Genius" | Theodore Dreiser

British Dictionary definitions for marvel

marvel

/ (ˈmɑːvəl) /


verb-vels, -velling or -velled or US -vels, -veling or -veled
  1. (when intr, often foll by at or about; when tr, takes a clause as object) to be filled with surprise or wonder

noun
  1. something that causes wonder

  2. archaic astonishment

Origin of marvel

1
C13: from Old French merveille, from Late Latin mīrābilia, from Latin mīrābilis, from mīrārī to wonder at

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012