amazement

amazement — noun

1. a strong, almost overwhelming reaction you feel when something happens that seem

1.nounB2
Definition

a strong, almost overwhelming reaction you feel when something happens that seems too unusual, sudden, or impressive to be expected.

Example

Beatriz stared in amazement as the magician pulled three rabbits from a tiny hat.

in amazement after a verb of looking

To my amazement, my younger brother solved the puzzle in under a minute.

fronted phrase: to one's amazement

Common collocations
  • stare in amazement
  • watch in amazement
  • gasp with amazement
  • to my/our/his/her amazement
  • look of amazement
  • expression of amazement
Synonyms
  • astonishment

    near-synonym, slightly more formal and often suggests being momentarily speechless.

  • wonder

    softer and more positive; mixes surprise with admiration or curiosity.

  • surprise

    more neutral and weaker; surprise can be small, but amazement is always strong.

Antonyms
  • indifference

    showing no reaction at all to something that might otherwise be striking.

Grammar Patterns

in amazement

to one's amazement

with amazement

Usage Note

Almost always uncountable and abstract. Frequently appears in fixed frames such as 'in amazement', 'to one's amazement', and 'with amazement', usually after verbs of looking, watching, or reacting. Avoid pluralising it.

Common Mistakes

I had many amazements at the show.
I felt great amazement at the show.
amazement is uncountable; do not put it in the plural or count it with 'many'.
She watched amazed in the show.
She watched the show in amazement.
the noun phrase is 'in amazement', not a bare adjective.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four describe a reaction to something unexpected, but they differ in strength and feel. 'Surprise' is the everyday, neutral word and can describe both small and large reactions, good or bad. 'Amazement' is much stronger than surprise and almost always positive or impressed: you feel it in front of skill, scale, or beauty. 'Astonishment' is roughly as strong as amazement but a touch more formal and often suggests being briefly speechless or unable to believe what just happened. 'Wonder' adds a sense of admiration or curiosity, common in front of nature, art, or a child's discovery. Compare: 'I was surprised by her email' (mild), 'I watched in amazement as she juggled five knives' (impressed), 'To my astonishment, the bill was wrong by ten thousand dollars' (formal disbelief).

amazement ↗astonishment ↗wonder ↗surprise ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • much to my amazement
  • stare in amazement
  • watch in amazement
  • a look of amazement

Prepositions

  • in amazement
  • with amazement
  • to (one's) amazement
  • at

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEarly Modern EnglishModern English

Amazement comes from the verb 'amaze', which began life in Old English as 'amasian', meaning to confuse or stun someone so badly they could not act. In medieval English the idea of being lost in a maze of confusion stayed close to it. By the 1500s the noun 'amazement' appeared with the suffix '-ment', and over the next two centuries the meaning shifted from frightened confusion towards the modern sense of strong, often admiring surprise.