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impressive

American  
[im-pres-iv] / ɪmˈprɛs ɪv /

adjective

  1. having the ability to impress the mind; arousing admiration, awe, respect, etc.; moving; admirable.

    an impressive ceremony; an impressive appearance.
    Synonyms:
    awesome, imposing
impressive British  
/ ɪmˈprɛsɪv /

adjective

  1. capable of impressing, esp by size, magnificence, etc; awe-inspiring; commanding

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • impressively adverb
  • impressiveness noun
  • preimpressive adjective
  • unimpressive adjective
  • unimpressively adverb

Etymology

Origin of impressive

First recorded in 1585–95; impress 1 + -ive

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.

An Orkney stonemason has turned "snow mason" to build an impressive igloo with a working fire and chimney.

From BBC

My confidence came from knowing that what I did on stage was good and impressive.

From The Wall Street Journal

Intel hopes that impressive 18A chips could attract outside customers to use the process and therefore offset the billions of dollars worth of quarterly losses it is booking in its foundry, or chip-manufacturing unit.

From Barron's

Doesn’t last year’s impressive market performance contradict the contrarians?

From MarketWatch

However, when researchers examined whether silybin could directly stop fibrosis, the results were less impressive.

From Science Daily

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.