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.
The songwriter has penned hits this year for Olivia Rodrigo and Karol G. She’s also got an impressive album of her own on the way.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
But the estate is more than just an impressive piece of real estate.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026
The Linster family already had an impressive history of fossil discoveries, including their association with the famous dinosaur Bambiraptor.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 20, 2026
He has been just as dominant in October: four appearances, 16 ⅔ innings, two runs, culminating with another 5 ⅓ impressive frames Monday with a pennant on the line.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
She needed to do something so impressive that it would overshadow any rumors about her birth—something so incredible that no one would dare speak ill of her family.
From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
