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.
“They have very impressive industrialization and reconstruction capabilities.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
It boasts two great lead performances, and its shoestring budget makes the entire production all the more impressive.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
Following impressive expansion in the first quarter, the Wall Street consensus calls for another quarter of 63% year-over-year growth in the cloud unit.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
Although those strikes seem tactically impressive, they have not helped him strategically, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
The woman was more impressive than any machine.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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.
