consternation
noun
Pearl Buck
Did you know?
If you’ve ever been flummoxed, befuddled, or even fuddled, you know a thing or two about consternation—but perhaps not all of it. Consternation and confusion are not synonymous, though it’s understandable that they are sometimes confused. Consternation refers not to confusion, but to a feeling of amazement or dismay that can lead to confusion, or otherwise hinder or stop someone in their tracks. And much like dismay, consternation is often used in constructions starting with “much to,” as in “much to their consternation, their teacher announced a pop quiz as soon as class started.” People also often “express” or “show” their consternation in various ways, whether with furrowed brow, mouth agog, or assorted mumblings and grumblings—visual and audible clues that they are working out just what to do next after being consternated.
Examples of consternation in a Sentence
Karen Breslau et al., Newsweek, 2 Apr. 2001
In the grimy market-places where so-called friendly intelligence services do their trading, tip-offs, like money, are laundered in all sorts of ways … . They can be blown up so as to cause consternation or tempered to encourage complacency.
—John le Carré, Granta 35, Spring 1991
The King was relaxing; his face had softened. Awful, to have to banish this hard-earned peace, burden him with a fresh worry. But better he should hear it from his loyalest baron, his own brother, than have the news blurted out to him by some idiot agent avid to cause a maximum of consternation.
—Colleen McCullough, The First Man in Rome, 1990
The candidate caused consternation among his supporters by changing positions on a key issue.
Much to her parents' consternation, she had decided to not go to college.
Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 2 Apr. 2025
Trump’s team and Paramount Global have had settlement discussions, something that has raised consternation at 60 Minutes and the news division given that the president’s lawsuit is, in the eyes of many legal experts, frivolous.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 24 Mar. 2025
The cell tower has drawn the most consternation from the school community.
—Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 14 Mar. 2025
The exercises, which came without formal notice, have deep caused consternation in both nations.
—Hilary Whiteman, CNN, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for consternation
Cite this Entry
“Consternation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consternation. Accessed 19 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
consternation
noun
Share