wonderment
State of marvel
Wonderment is a state of awed surprise or admiration—the feeling that arises when encountering something marvelous or inexplicable.
It suggests a quiet, contemplative quality distinct from mere excitement: She gazed at the northern lights in wonderment.
The word often describes childlike openness to mystery: His eyes were wide with wonderment.
Intense sudden wonder
- marvelAstonishing thing or feeling
- reverenceProfound admiring respect
- sublimeAwe-inspiring greatness
- transcendenceSurpassing usual limits
grandeur · majesty · veneration · breathtaking · awe-inspiring · stupefaction · thunderstruck · overwhelm
Overwhelming surprise and wonder
- startleFrighten suddenly
- shockViolent sudden disturbance
- disbeliefRejection of truth claims
- incredulityInability to accept something
speechless · gobsmacked · flabbergasted · dumbfounded · astound · boggle · confound · jaw-dropping
Request for information
- questioningSeeking answers through inquiry
- explorationTraveling through unknown regions
- discoveryAct of finding something
- interestAttention, stake, or fee
pondering · contemplation · inquisitiveness · musing · searching · probing · seeking · openness
State of being fascinated
- spellboundHeld as if enchanted
- mesmerizedHeld in rapt attention
- enthralledDeeply fascinated, held rapt
- bewitchedUnder magical influence
charmed · beguiled · rapt · absorbed · transfixed · hypnotized · enraptured · riveted
Something hard to fathom
- unknownNot yet discovered
- inexplicableCannot be accounted for
- unfathomableBeyond comprehension or measurement
- inscrutableImpossible to understand
puzzling · mystifying · cryptic · arcane · mysterious · perplexing · baffling · unknowable
astonishment
Intense sudden wonder
transcendence · grandeur · majesty · veneration · breathtaking · awe-inspiring · stupefaction · thunderstruck · overwhelm · rapture
amazement
Overwhelming surprise and wonder
incredulity · speechless · gobsmacked · flabbergasted · dumbfounded · astound · boggle · confound · jaw-dropping · eye-opening
inquiry
Request for information
- questioningSeeking answers through inquiry
- explorationTraveling through unknown regions
- discoveryAct of finding something
interest · pondering · contemplation · inquisitiveness · musing · searching · probing · seeking · openness · fascination
captivation
State of being fascinated
- spellboundHeld as if enchanted
- mesmerizedHeld in rapt attention
- enthralledDeeply fascinated, held rapt
bewitched · charmed · beguiled · rapt · absorbed · transfixed · hypnotized · enraptured · riveted · engrossed
enigma
Something hard to fathom
- unknownNot yet discovered
- inexplicableCannot be accounted for
- unfathomableBeyond comprehension or measurement
inscrutable · puzzling · mystifying · cryptic · arcane · mysterious · perplexing · baffling · unknowable · uncanny
- doubtdoubt, doubts, doubting, doubtful, skepticism
wondermentindifference
Lack of interest
apathy · disinterest · unconcern · impassivity · detachment
wondermentcynicism
Distrust of human sincerity
disenchantment · jadedness · world-weariness · disillusionment · contempt