What's the difference between consternation and surprise?

Consternation


Definition:

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

Example Sentences:

  • (1) All of the hardware complications were managed without undue difficulty, and although they were a source of consternation to the surgeon, they did not affect the patients adversely.
  • (2) Although he said he wished ITV “well”, Edwards’ accusation of “creative handling of audience figures” caused particular consternation at the commercial channel.
  • (3) He is like a Sir Bobby Charlton and Denis Law who I remember watching – the whole club here is a legend.” Martino was certainly correct when he said during the build up – probably to the consternation of the promoter – that there was no way the match would have any bearing on this year’s Ballon d’Or.
  • (4) Tsipras, who made an official visit to Moscow in April to discuss the project, has made improved ties with the fellow Orthodox state a central plank of his two-party coalition’s foreign policy – much to the consternation of the EU.
  • (5) Gove's comments are likely to cause consternation in Germany, where politicians are keen to stress the lessons learned from two world wars and the role that European integration has played in promoting peace.
  • (6) To the consternation of some of Pakistan’s European donors the country abandoned an informal moratorium on the death penalty and has so far executed more than 300 death row prisoners.
  • (7) The proposed implementation of a similar system in Australia, also called Cleanfeed, has caused consternation among civil rights campaigners.
  • (8) For these reasons, I am voting to remain.” Beckham’s defence of the EU might once have caused consternation over the family breakfast table.
  • (9) After complaining about the way black flood victims were portrayed in the media, West finished up by saying: “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.” Co-presenter Mike Myers , who tried to stay on-script, looked suitably consternated as the camera cut away.
  • (10) Akinfeev's punt upfield caused consternation in a City defence that never seems the same when Vincent Kompany, still sidelined with a thigh injury , is absent.
  • (11) Grief, consternation about the loss of attractivity and disfigurement of the body could be found in 50 of them.
  • (12) Trump’s decision to hold a protocol-trampling conversation with Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen last Friday and his subsequent Twitter attacks on China have caused consternation in Beijing .
  • (13) Green measures took up only a few minutes of the chancellor's hour-long budget speech, and though some green groups were pleased that Osborne was not openly scornful of environmental protections – his rhetoric in previous speeches has been severe, slamming environmental regulations as a "burden" on business - there was consternation at some of his pledges, including airport expansion in south-east England and new roads.
  • (14) Under Mitchell, DfID announced an overhaul of the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC), the UK's development finance arm, appointing a new chief executive on a salary significantly lower than that of her predecessor , whose generous package caused consternation.
  • (15) Alexakis reeled off the myriad austerity measures that have been driven, often to widespread consternation from MPs, through the Greek parliament.
  • (16) It’s the culmination of a long and illuminating day spent with Davey, who to general surprise (and some consternation among those who thought he was ill-qualified) took over as Radio 3 controller earlier this year, having previously been chief executive of Arts Council England .
  • (17) Causing some consternation locally is the new Aam Aadmi (common man) party, which is challenging many of the fundamental principles of Indian politics .
  • (18) Such clear evidence of rigging is likely to cause consternation in western capitals, from where there is strong pressure on President Hosni Mubarak to embrace some democratisation.
  • (19) The most detail we have had so far comes from Wikileaks, which leaked chapters on intellectual property proposals that have caused consternation online.
  • (20) Mocking the consternation among progressives, a conservative film reviewer at Rupert Murdoch's New York Post agreed: Zero Dark Thirty is, he wrote, "a clear vindication for the Bush administration's view of the war on terror" that "subtly presents President Obama and by extension the entire Democratic establishment and its supporters in the media as hindering the effort to find Bin Laden by politicising harsh interrogation techniques".

Surprise


Definition:

  • (n.) The act of coming upon, or taking, unawares; the act of seizing unexpectedly; surprisal; as, the fort was taken by surprise.
  • (n.) The state of being surprised, or taken unawares, by some act or event which could not reasonably be foreseen; emotion excited by what is sudden and strange; a suddenly excited feeling of wonder or astonishment.
  • (n.) Anything that causes such a state or emotion.
  • (n.) A dish covered with a crust of raised paste, but with no other contents.
  • (n.) To come or fall suddenly and unexpectedly; to take unawares; to seize or capture by unexpected attack.
  • (n.) To strike with wonder, astonishment, or confusion, by something sudden, unexpected, or remarkable; to confound; as, his conduct surprised me.
  • (n.) To lead (one) to do suddenly and without forethought; to bring (one) into some unexpected state; -- with into; as, to be surprised into an indiscretion; to be surprised into generosity.
  • (n.) To hold possession of; to hold.

Example Sentences:

  • (1) If Charles Spencer, 3rd Duke of Marlborough, who bought the island in 1738, were to return today he would doubtless recognise the scene, though he might be surprised that his small private buildings have grown into a sizable hotel.
  • (2) Surprisingly, the clonal elimination of V beta 6+ cells is preceded by marked expansion of these cells.
  • (3) Given Australia’s number one position as the worst carbon emitter per capita among major western nations it seems hardly surprising that islanders from Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu and other small island developing states have been turning to Australia with growing exasperation demanding the country demonstrate an appropriate response and responsibility.
  • (4) S&P – the only one of the three major agencies not to have stripped the UK of its coveted AAA status – said it had been surprised at the pick-up in activity during 2013 – a year that began with fears of a triple-dip recession.
  • (5) Why is it so surprising to people that a boy like Chol, just out of conflict, has thought through the needs of his country in such a detailed way?” While Beah’s zeal is laudable, the situation in South Sudan is dire .
  • (6) Diabetic retinopathy (an index of microangiopathy) and absence of peripheral pulses, amputation, or history of myocardial infarction, stroke, or transient ischemic attacks (as evidence of macroangiopathy) caused surprisingly little increase in relative risk for cardiovascular death.
  • (7) Just don’t be surprised if they ask you to repair their phones, too.
  • (8) One surprising finding is that the MAL1g-encoded maltose permease exhibits little sequence homology to the MAL1-encoded maltose permease though they appear to be functionally homologous.
  • (9) Surprisingly, however, despite the severe defect in viral DNA replication, the synthesis of a few species of viral late proteins continues in cells infected by some of the E1B mutants.
  • (10) Thus, during treatment with ethambutol visually (pattern) evoked potentials may reveal a surprisingly high percentage of subclinical optic neuritis.
  • (11) Somewhat surprisingly then, in view of the mechanisms in mammals, birds do not seem to use this seasonal message in the photoperiodic control of reproduction.
  • (12) Infants were habituated to models posing either prototypically positive displays (e.g., happy expressions) or positive expression blends (e.g., mock surprise).
  • (13) The BBA statistics director, David Dooks, said: "It was no surprise to see the January mortgage figures falling back from December, when transactions were being pushed through to beat the end of stamp duty relief.
  • (14) "We knew people would be interested in the announcement, but it's fair to say that the scale of the excitement, right across the world, took us all by surprise.
  • (15) When you have champions of financial rectitude such as the International Monetary Fund and OECD warning of the international risk of an "explosion of social unrest" and arguing for a new fiscal stimulus if growth continues to falter, it's hardly surprising that tensions in the cabinet over next month's spending review are spilling over.
  • (16) Myelodysplastic preleukemic syndromes (MDPS) and acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) share a surprising in vivo sensitivity to the hormonally acting 13 cis or all trans retinoic acids (transRA).
  • (17) Apple has come out fighting, which is no surprise given the remarkable success that the company has seen in recent years.
  • (18) His words surprised some because of an impression that the US was unwilling to talk about these issues.
  • (19) A teaching union has questioned appointment of a trustee of Britain's largest academy chain group as chairman of the schools regulator Ofsted , in what was a surprise announcement meant to calm some of the internal conflicts within the coalition.
  • (20) Given that a post-poll economy still registers as a crucial issue among undecided voters, and that matters economic are now his BBC day job, that was hardly surprising.