marvelous

especially British, mar·vel·lous

[mahr-vuh-luhs]

adjective

1. superb; excellent; great.

   a marvelous show.

   Synonyms: wonderful
   Antonyms: terrible

2. such as to cause wonder, admiration, or astonishment; surprising; extraordinary.

   Synonyms: miraculous, amazing, wondrous
   Antonyms: commonplace

3. improbable or incredible.

   the marvelous events of Greek myth.

   Synonyms: unbelievable

Other Word Forms

• marvelously adverb
• marvellousness noun
• supermarvelous adjective
• supermarvelously adverb
• supermarvelousness noun
• unmarvellous adjective
• unmarvellously adverb
• unmarvellousness noun
• unmarvelous adjective
• unmarvelously adverb
• unmarvelousness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of marvelous¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English merve(il)lous, from Middle French merveilleus; equivalent to marvel + -ous

Example Sentences

Bill Plaschke has now written two marvelous columns related to Parkinson’s Disease and his experience with it.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He’s a dogmatic submissive, an inner tension illustrated by Penn to marvelous effect when Lockjaw shows up at Perfidia’s door with flowers and, when she doesn’t answer, returns with a battering ram.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The marvelous composition is perfectly fitted to the stone’s shape.

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Brooks’ labored apologia is a history — his history — of recent American conservatism, a Manichaean fable of civilized, conscientious conservatives full of marvelous ideas and déclassé, knuckle-dragging right-wingers.

Read more on Salon

The marvelous painting was made at a pivotal moment.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• astonishing 
• astounding 
• awe-inspiring 
• awesome 
• breathtaking 
• extraordinary 
• fabulous 
• fantastic 
• implausible 
• improbable 
• incredible 
• miraculous 
• phenomenal 
• remarkable 
• singular 
• spectacular 
• strange 
• stunning 
• unbelievable 
• unusual 

When To Use

What does marvelous mean?

Marvelous means wonderful, extraordinary, fabulous, superb, excellent. In this sense, it is often used to praise things like works of art and artistic performances.Marvelous is the adjective form of the noun marvel, which most commonly means a thing that causes wonder. Marvelous can mean causing wonder, as well as improbable, but both of these senses are much less common than its primary meaning of “wonderful.”In British English, it is commonly spelled marvellous.Example: That was absolutely marvelous! What a wonderful show! Bravo!