impressive
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
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.
Although those strikes seem tactically impressive, they have not helped him strategically, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Its listing certainly paints an impressive picture about the home’s many offerings, making quite the to-do about its “breathtaking views,” “lush tropical landscaping,” and “opulent” decor.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
Lindblad's pace in the revised Racing Bull - which only he has because there were not enough parts for a second car - was impressive.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
Though “Jurassic Park” may be Neill’s most loved work, it’s far from his most impressive.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
He’s in the middle of putting together an impressive and complex puzzle of some Greek goddess of some kind.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
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.
