əˈstänishmənt, -ēsh- noun
( -s )
1. : the state of being astonished or of one who is astonished: as
a. obsolete : paralysis , numbness
b. obsolete : stupor , bewilderment
c. archaic : dismay , consternation
astonishment though not in itself fear is nevertheless a good stage towards it — T.L.Peacock
d. : great surprise or wonder : amazement
saw astonishment giving place to horror on the faces of the people — H.G.Wells
children watching with astonishment and delight
in his first astonishment he had stopped dead short — Joseph Conrad
sincere women sometimes express their astonishment over the exaggerated sense of romance … which many men show — Theodor Reik
2. : one that astonishes ; especially : a cause of amazement or wonder
a never-ending astonishment to his parents
my first meeting with Oscar Wilde was an astonishment — W.B.Yeats
the book races on from one astonishment to the next — Dan Wickenden