consternation means Amazement or horror that confounds the faculties, and incapacitates for reflection; terror, combined with amazement; dismay. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 75 out of 100.
Why this word is great
CONSTERNATION — [Noun] Profound dismay that confounds and incapacitates, a stunned paralysis of the spirit caused by something sudden and catastrophic. From the Latin consternātiō, from consternāre ("to throw into confusion, dismay"), itself from con- ("thoroughly") + sternere ("to spread, prostrate"). Unlike "dismay," which suggests a loss of courage, or "bewilderment," which implies confusion from novelty, consternation is the mind's momentary shutdown—a cognitive circuit-breaker tripped by shock. It is the frozen silence in a room after a calamitous pronouncement, the dropped mug shattering unheeded on the floor, the perfect stillness of a traveler watching the last train depart empty from the platform. This is the body's mute rebellion, a total eclipse of thought by the sudden arrival of the unacceptable.
noun
- Amazement or horror that confounds the faculties, and incapacitates for reflection; terror, combined with amazement; dismay.“"Out!" exclaimed her husband, with something like genuine consternation in his voice.”