consternation
noun
Pearl Buck
Did you know?
Wonder what the seemingly dissimilar words prostrate ("stretched out with face on the ground"), stratum ("layer"), and stratus ("a low cloud form extending over a large area") have in common with consternation? They are all thought to share the Latin ancestor sternere, meaning "to spread" or "to strike or throw down." Much to our consternation, we cannot make that sentence definitive: while prostrate, stratum, and stratus are clearly the offspring of sternere, etymologists will only go so far as to say that consternation comes from Latin consternare—and that they have a strong suspicion that consternare is another descendent of sternere.
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.
Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 22 Feb. 2024
That last point created the most enduring consternation among fans, particularly since Orioles appeared to be having a quiet offseason, despite their success in 2023.
—Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 1 Feb. 2024
These proposals, and many more, would apply to district and charter schools, but — to the consternation of Democrats — not to the schools funded by the state's universal voucher program.
—Mary Jo Pitzl, The Arizona Republic, 17 Mar. 2024
And his response to the consternation his arrival stirred up seems aligned with his collaborative, getting-his-hands-dirty approach.
—Nicole Phelps, Vogue, 2 Mar. 2024
Former jazz singer Doreen Jackson (Jonelle Allen) fell hard for Dr. Daniel — much to Maya’s consternation.
—EW.com, 28 Feb. 2024
The state’s solicitor general, Henry Whitaker, struggled at multiple points to identify which platforms would be covered by the legislation, leading to consternation by some justices.
—Brian Fung, CNN, 27 Feb. 2024
This bipartisan pivot away from trade has caused consternation across Washington’s foreign policy establishment, which has long regarded trade deals as an important tool for building geopolitical coalitions.
—Peter E. Harrell, Foreign Affairs, 26 Feb. 2024
Anticipation for the coming season and TV ratings won’t dip an iota over consternation about NIL and the portal enabling the rich to get richer and assuring the haves have even more.
—Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 22 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'consternation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near consternation
Cite this Entry
“Consternation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consternation. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
consternation
noun
Share