Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. A state of paralyzing dismay. See Synonyms at fear.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. Astonishment combined with terror; amazement that confounds the faculties and incapacitates for deliberate thought and action; extreme surprise, with confusion and panic.
- n. Synonyms Apprehension, Fright, etc. See alarm.
Wiktionary
- n. Amazement or horror that confounds the faculties, and incapacitates for reflection; terror, combined with amazement; dismay.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. Amazement or horror that confounds the faculties, and incapacitates for reflection; terror, combined with amazement; dismay.
WordNet 3.0
- n. fear resulting from the awareness of danger
Etymologies
- From Latin cōnsternātiō. (Wiktionary)
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.”
“He stares after Mickey in consternation as the man chases after Jack and Martha wondering just how this changes things.”
“(Maggie laughs out loud, at which point Paula and Louise instantly stare at her in consternation with serious expressions.)”
““O our master,” they exclaimed in consternation, “our understanding is confused, for we see him sitting on a golden mountain, which is in the midst of a sea of blood, surrounded by a copper wall.””
“The population were in consternation at the horrors they witnessed; death everywhere and in a horrible form.”
“I should imagine that the word consternation would suitably describe their reaction.”
“More than forty years ago, Mr.T. A. Reid of the University of Toronto, and an authority on the history of the City, referred to the real estate boom at the beginning of the century, and quoted specifically the young man who came home and reported in consternation the exorbitant price for land at the corner of King and Yonge, which had just risen to $4.00 per square foot.”
“( "And I ..." she thought in consternation, "am responsible for this!")”
“Sarah Spencer sprang out of her doze in consternation, and gazed blankly at the shrieking child.”
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘consternation’.
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1100
abound, technology, branch of knowled..., prognosticate, automaton, matron, an older married ..., realm, special field of ..., kingdom, annals, historical records and 981 more...
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sdamle1
echt
echt, apocalypse, resurgence, forthright, logorrhea, mercurial, torrid, exorcise, obscure, intrusive, morose, vindictive and 100 more...
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501
Classic
aberration, abstruse, anomaly, assiduous, august, banal, boisterous, dulcet, epitome, impudent, insolent, mellifluous and 401 more...
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Interesting words
A list of words that are odd or words that I have looked up.
concupiscence, brize, scree, scoria, forestaff, spanaemia, valetudinarianism, distasture, pyrethrum, laudanum, gentian, bicameral and 11184 more...
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501
Classic
aberration, abstruse, anomaly, assiduous, august, banal, boisterous, dulcet, epitome, impudent, insolent, mellifluous and 401 more...
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2nd part
prelude, ample, escalate, prototype, accession, acquisition, archives, zealot, indict, verdict, intimidating, timid and 454 more...
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GRE 2014
abate, abdicate, abase, aberrant, abeyance, abhor, abjure, abortive, abound, abrasive, abreast, abridge and 1577 more...
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From reading
Collected from reading
venerate, reprobate, reticent, adoration, ethereal, ephemeral, equivocal, contumacious, heinous, solicitous, agnostic, aberration and 335 more...
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EN-HU - important words for a HU inte...
Words only (I left out the expressions) from Geza Kerenyi's EN-HU interpreters' dictionary. Most of them pose some difficulty when interpreted between HU and EN in either or both directions.
abalone, abrasive, abstractionist, abstruse, abysmal, academia, accessibility, accessible, acclimate, accolade, accompanist, achiever and 1469 more...
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501
Classic
irk, teem, blight, pith, moot, mete, ire, bane, bilk, boor, elan, ado and 401 more...
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(1st_wk_150)-Dec_5_2012
voracious, indiscriminate, eminent, steeped, replete, abound, technology, prognosticate, automaton, matron, paradox, realm and 297 more...
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501
Classic
aberration, abstruse, anomaly, assiduous, august, banal, boisterous, dulcet, epitome, impudent, insolent, mellifluous and 401 more...
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Words build meanings from origins( et...
These come from gamma meditation ,I think.
discursive, exogenous, machinations, purportedly, sumptuous, congruity, cantankerous, incongruous, festoon, hessian, ratiocinative, stratigraphic and 2046 more...
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cicatrix
scar tissue
minatory, naira, Cluniac, embracive, prolix, hierophant, timorous, adduce, veracious, dysphoric, sang-froid, vitiate and 503 more...
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SAT words
tergiversate, cymotrichous, vigilance, wince, consternation, cower, neutralize, euphony, cacophony, misanthrope, bibliophile, kleptomania and 81 more...
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GRE 1100
drudgery, implore, hapless, nuance, wrest, incipient, inadvertent, tremulous, bristle, euphemism, disdain, pugnacious and 346 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for consternation.

Noelle Knight "Suddenly a section of Astroturf leaped up as a trap snapped shut, narrowly missing the wolf's hind leg. The wolf yipped in consternation, frozen in place."-Dead as a Doornail, by Charlaine Harris May 18, 2011