What does consternation mean?
Consternation is a feeling of anxious alarm or dismay, usually triggered by something sudden, unexpected, or bewildering. It sits somewhere between surprise and dread: a person experiencing consternation is not merely startled but unsettled, thrown off balance by news or events they cannot immediately make sense of. The word is largely formal in register and appears frequently in journalism, literature, and formal speech — reports might note that a decision 'caused consternation' among voters, or a memoirist might admit that, to their consternation, plans had gone badly awry. It commonly appears in fixed phrases such as 'to one's consternation', 'in consternation', and 'thrown into consternation'. Derived from the Latin consternare, meaning to throw into confusion or terrify, the word entered English in the early seventeenth century. Its precise, evocative force makes it a valuable alternative to blander terms like shock or worry when a writer wants to convey genuine, disoriented alarm.
nounA feeling of anxiety, dismay, or alarm, often caused by something unexpected and bewildering.
- A feeling of anxious dismay, alarm, or confusion, typically provoked by something unexpected.
"The announcement of the sudden closure was met with widespread consternation among the staff."
"To her consternation, she realised she had sent the email to the entire company."
"The government's abrupt reversal caused consternation among its closest allies."
Consternation is almost always used as an uncountable noun; plural forms are rare and generally avoided in modern usage.
"His letters record the consternations of a young officer far from home."
Consternation literally comes from a Latin word meaning 'to thunder down at' — so being thrown into consternation is, etymologically, being struck by lightning from within.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of consternation
Consternation derives from the Latin verb consternare, meaning 'to throw into confusion' or 'to terrify', formed from com- ('together') and a root related to sternere ('to spread out, strike down'), which also gives English words like prostrate. The word passed into French as consternation before entering English in the early seventeenth century. Its cognates include the now-rare English verb consternate and French consterner.
Related word forms
How consternation is actually used
Consternation is a formal, somewhat literary word, common in journalism and narrative prose. It carries a connotation of stunned, bewildered distress rather than pure fear, and often appears in the phrases 'to one's consternation' and 'in/with consternation'.
Easily confused with consternation
Concentration means close mental focus or the gathering of something in one place, while consternation means anxious alarm or dismay.