wonder

American  

[wuhn-der] / ˈwʌn dər /

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.

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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.

idioms

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

   For a wonder, they worked hard all day.

wonder ¹ British  

/ 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

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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 British  

/ 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)

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wonder More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing wonder

• for a wonder
• no wonder
• work wonders

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Other Word Forms

• wonderer noun
• wonderless adjective

Etymology

Origin of wonder

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

Explanation

When you wonder about something, you want to learn more about it. You wonder why the car is making that noise so you ask the mechanic to explain it. Wonder comes from the Old English word wundor, which means "marvelous thing, the object of astonishment." For example, the Taj Mahal is one of the great wonders of the world, so beautiful and magical. But wonders are all around us — anything that amazes and marvels is a wonder, like high-definition television, the Internet, your mom's homemade pizza — though we tend to forget this because we are used to them.

Example Sentences

Little wonder then that the trip is regarded as a personal priority for Pope Leo.

From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026

I wonder if Justice Sotomayor is trying to signal that the pressure is working and he’s changing his mind.

From Slate • Apr. 10, 2026

Nvidia stock was the market’s go-to artificial intelligence pick for years, but it has traded between $165 and $195 for months as investors wonder how long so-called hyperscalers can maintain their aggressive capital spending.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

Even then, one product was already synonymous with the wonder of spaceflight: Tang.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

We had first heard this modern wonder at a friend’s house.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Related Words

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