Wonderment
What it means
A state of delighted amazement and curious awe.
Reach for it when naming sustained wonder when the experience feels absorbing
The first snowfall held the children in quiet wonderment.
Words to choose between 6
| everyday | |
|---|---|
| warm | |
| formal | |
| literary |
|
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everyday
Fits when intense surprise is the dominant feeling
Careful Amazement can lack pleasure or curiosity.
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warm
Fits when pleasure matters more than surprise
Careful Delight can arise from familiar comfort with no wonderment.
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warm
Fits when delighted awe and curiosity should sound natural
Careful Wonder can be quiet or reflective, unlike the more visibly amazed wonderment.
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formal
astonishment
Fits when unexpectedness overwhelms ordinary expectation
Careful Astonishment can be negative and does not imply delight.
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formal
Fits when grandeur inspires reverence or humility
Careful Awe can include fear and is more solemn than wonderment.
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literary
Fits when delighted astonishment suits a poetic voice
Careful Marvel more often names the object or an exclamation in current English.
Opposites 3
- boredom
- indifference
- disenchantment
Common phrases 3
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childlike wonderment
Her childlike wonderment reflected openness, not lack of judgment.
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gaze in wonderment
Visitors gaze in wonderment as the mechanical birds begin to move.
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sense of wonderment
The lantern trail created a sense of wonderment without hiding the night sky.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Flame, not lame, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC0 Updated