impressive
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived 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.
Route 1, is known for an impressive list of cheeses, international wines chosen by an in-house sommelier and traditional Spanish dishes like bacon-wrapped chorizo-stuffed dates, garlic shrimp and three different paellas.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026
Equally impressive was the composure he showed to eventually see out victory on his seventh match point.
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
If the number of fans in the stadiums is impressive, it’s the global audience that is really enticing.
From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026
“The situation for many unemployed job seekers is grim, even in the midst of impressive monthly job gains,” she said.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 5, 2026
It was perhaps the haphazard approach to cataloging that allowed one of the most impressive artifacts to sit unnoticed—first in an open courtyard and then in a remote corner of the museum.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
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.
