marvel

1 of 2

noun

mar·​vel ˈmär-vəl 

1

: one that causes wonder or astonishment

her talent is a marvel to behold

… with that marvel of architecture before our eyes …

—Martha Kean

2

: intense surprise or interest : astonishment

… his voice filled with marvel …

—Mordecai Richler

marvel

2 of 2

verb

marveled or marvelled; marveling or marvelling ˈmärv-liŋ 

ˈmär-və-

intransitive verb

: to become filled with surprise, wonder, or amazed curiosity

marveled at the magician's skill

transitive verb

: to feel astonishment or perplexity at or about

marveled that they had escaped

Synonyms

Noun

• caution
• flash
• miracle
• phenomenon
• portent
• prodigy
• sensation
• splendor
• wonder

Examples of marvel in a Sentence

Noun

that new electric car really is a marvel

Verb

The doctors marveled that anyone could recover so quickly.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

This 500-year-old architectural marvel has been transformed into a vibrant cultural complex that includes a functioning hamam, a museum, and a contemporary art gallery. —Lee Sharrock, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024

With a rich history dating back thousands of years, Istanbul is chock-full of architectural marvels. —Rachel Davies, Architectural Digest, 12 Dec. 2024

Verb

Guests can easily spend an hour inside, marveling at how the portraits' eyes move and their subjects’ appearances decay over time, then come back to discover something new, by sitting elsewhere in the room. —Eve Chen, USA TODAY, 9 Dec. 2024

Even after a decade of reporting on the sport, PA Media’s F1 correspondent Phil Duncan still marvels at how teams cope. —Jack Bantock, CNN, 6 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English merveile, mervayle "something causing astonishment, miracle," borrowed from Anglo-French merveille, going back to Gallo-Romance *merevelia, altered from Latin mīrābilia, noun derivative from neuter plural of mīrābilis "causing wonder, remarkable," from mīrārī "to be surprised, look with wonder at" + -bilis "capable of (acting or being acted upon)" — more at admire, -able

Verb

Middle English merveilen, mervaylen, borrowed from Anglo-French merveiller, derivative of merveille marvel entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Kids Definition

marvel

1 of 2 noun

mar·​vel ˈmär-vəl 

: one that causes wonder or astonishment

marvel

2 of 2 verb

marveled or marvelled; marveling or marvelling ˈmärv-(ə-)liŋ 

: to become filled with surprise or astonishment

marveled at the magician's skill