Dictionary Entry
consternation
Part of SpeechnounPronunciation/ˌkɒn.stəˈneɪ.ʃən/Word FrequencyCommon (4.27)Curriculum FrequencyLess common (1)Amazement or horror that confounds the faculties, and incapacitates for reflection; terror, combined with amazement; dismay.
In a Sentence
“The sudden power outage caused widespread consternation among the concertgoers.”
Published Usage Examples
“"What – what – what!" exclaimed Old Hurricane, gazing in consternation from the young prisoner to the accuser; "what – what! my newsboy, my saucy little prince of patches, a girl in boy's clothes?"”
“My brothers looked at one another in consternation, then that wily Tuscan friar, Fra Agostino da Montalcino, stepped forward, an unpleasant smile on his face.”
This entry also appears in ReadingWillow Year 11 word lists, so students can move between the dictionary and year-level study sets.
Origin
Latin, from 'consternare' meaning to dishearten.
Common Phrases
Related Words
Poetry examples for “consternation”
Excerpts from the ReadingWillow English Library collection.
Poetry examples are still being gathered for this entry. They will appear here once matching poems are available in the library.
