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.
The impressive gray whales have the longest annual migration of any mammal, travelling an approximate 15,000-20,000km roundtrip to breed.
From BBC • Apr. 19, 2026
Wall Street started to pull back from the space amid concerns that AI could one day replace critical software functions, especially as AI start-up Anthropic has continued to launch impressive updates to its models.
From Barron's • Apr. 17, 2026
The U.S. stock market’s prospects continue to deteriorate, according to the gold-platinum ratio — a relatively obscure indicator with an impressive track record predicting the stock market’s 12-month return.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 17, 2026
Because, all those impersonations of chilly indifference aside, he will be known by what he got on the air: a legacy of generation-defining comedy that’s more impressive than any dutiful biodoc could ever be.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026
He put away the fairy book and pulled out an impressive tome, then opened it on the table between them.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
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.
