Standard Lemma guide

consternation

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˌkɒn.stəˈneɪ.ʃən/
  • US: kŏnʹstər.nā'shən
  • US: /ˌkɑn.s(t)ɚˈneɪ.ʃən/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -eɪʃən
  • CMU ARPABET: K AA2 N S T ER0 N EY1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

Amazement or horror that confounds the faculties, and incapacitates for reflection; terror, combined with amazement; dismay.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: dismay, alarm, bewilderment, dread

Antonyms: equanimity, calm, serenity, satisfaction

2

noun

Meaning 2

fear resulting from the awareness of danger

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: alarm, dismay

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: fear, fearfulness, fright

History

Etymology

From French consternation, from Latin consternātiō. By surface analysis, consternate + -ion.

Across languages

Translations

57 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: սարսափ (sarsapʻ) — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Armenian: ահ (ah) — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Armenian: զարհուրանք (zarhurankʻ) — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Bulgarian: смайване (smajvane) — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Bulgarian: ужас (užas) — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Catalan: consternació — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Catalan: abatiment — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Chinese Mandarin: 驚愕 /惊愕 (jīng'è) — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Czech: konsternace — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Danish: bestyrtelse — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Dutch: consternatie — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Dutch: verbijstering — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Esperanto: konsterno — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Finnish: tyrmistys — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • French: consternation — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • French: sidération — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • French: accablement — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • French: prostration — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • German: Bestürzung — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • German: Fassungslosigkeit — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Greek: τρόμος (trómos) — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Greek: ανησυχία (anisychía) — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Ancient Greek: ἔκπληξις (ékplēxis) — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Hebrew: תַּדְהֵמָה — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Hebrew: בִּלְבּוּל — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Hebrew: חֲרָדָה — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Hebrew: פַּחַד — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Hungarian: megdöbbenés — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Hungarian: szörnyülködés — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Hungarian: megrökönyödés — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Irish: anbhá — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Italian: costernazione — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Japanese: 驚愕 (kyōgaku) — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Japanese: 狼狽 (rōbai) — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Korean: 대경실색 (daegyeongsilsaek) — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Latin: consternātiō — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Malayalam: പരിഭ്രാന്തി (paribhrānti) — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Manx: ard-yindys — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Māori: pororaru — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Māori: pōraruraru — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Norwegian Bokmål: bestyrtelse — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Polish: konsternacja — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Portuguese: consternação — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Romanian: consternație — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Romanian: consternare — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Russian: у́жас (úžas) — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Russian: оцепене́ние (ocepenénije) — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Russian: испу́г (ispúg) — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Scottish Gaelic: maoim — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Serbo-Croatian: preneraženost — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Spanish: consternación — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Spanish: abatimiento — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Spanish: postración — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Swedish: bestörtning — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Swedish: häpnad — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Turkish: dehşet — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay
  • Yiddish: קאָנסטערנאַציע (konsternatsye) — amazement or horror; terror, combined with amazement; dismay