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.
“That’s why it can be very impressive at one moment but completely wrong the next.”
From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026
Italy lost their opening two matches of the tournament to France and Ireland, but were impressive in an emphatic 41-14 win against Scotland in their final match before the mid-tournament rest week.
From BBC • May 5, 2026
"We actually saw some truly impressive effects from AI at times, but the overall structure was achieved thanks to human work and very human skills."
From Barron's • May 4, 2026
But, unbeknownst to many observers at the time, Graham was enduring even more withering pressures, with determination that was all the more impressive for being almost entirely invisible.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
We step off the elevator, and a man with an impressive double pretzel-loop on top of his head points at us, like we’re some sort of exhibit at the museum of natural history.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
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.
