impressive
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- impressively adverb
- impressiveness noun
- preimpressive adjective
- unimpressive adjective
- unimpressively adverb
Etymology
Origin of impressive
Explanation
Something that is impressive stands out because it is really good. Some of the most impressive college application essays are those that reflect on past events that shaped who the writer is today. When you impress someone, you show that you are special or that what you did is praiseworthy. So something that's impressive does just that, like the impressive feat of running a marathon every week for a year. The earliest meaning of impressive was "capable of being easily impressed," from the Latin word impressus, "imprint or stamp." By around 1775, the meaning had changed to "making a strong impression on."
Vocabulary lists containing impressive
A Long Walk to Water
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Freak the Mighty
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The City of Ember
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Though they are not featured in the listing photos, the property boasts an impressive eight bedrooms, as well as seven full bathrooms, and three half bathrooms.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026
While the fund’s year to date performance is impressive, it’s proved volatile in the past.
From Barron's • Apr. 12, 2026
Harriet Dart and Jodie Burrage won their doubles rubber in straight sets to send Great Britain through to September's Billie Jean King Cup finals with an impressive 3-0 win against Australia.
From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026
Orange Lutheran’s pitching depth was impressive all week.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026
Her sneer wasn’t as bad as the one I got from Deputy Collins, but it was still pretty impressive.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
