Consternation

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌkɒn.stəˈneɪ.ʃən/

Definitions

1. A state of anxiety, confusion, or dismay caused by something unexpected or alarming
2. a sudden overwhelming sense of shock, alarm, and troubled confusion arising from an unexpected or disturbing event
3. deep distress and bewilderment that seizes someone when confronted with something alarming or unforeseen

Etymology: Latin "consternare" meant "to strike down" or "to throw into confusion," and it is the root of the English word's family. The noun came into English through French, which had taken it from the Latin "consternātiō," a noun built on the same verb. Its original sense was less about feelings than about upheaval: a stampede of frightened animals or a crowd thrown into disorder. The emotional sense of shock and dismay grew out of that picture of people scattering in panic. The English verb "consternate" was formed from the Latin participle stem, and "consternation" was then built on it with the suffix "-ion," which turns a verb into a noun of action or state. So the word describes a state of being thrown off balance, a kind of mental stampede.

Synonyms: dismay, alarm, shock, confusion, distress

Antonyms: calm, composure, equanimity