impressive
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
- impressively adverb
- impressiveness noun
- preimpressive adjective
- unimpressive adjective
- unimpressively adverb
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 earnings punctuate one of the more impressive advances for the market since the Covid pandemic.
From Barron's • Apr. 27, 2026
These firms have racked up some impressive successes and America can’t afford to be complacent against the competition.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026
On the surface, Grede makes little show of her impressive wealth—save for the odd Instagram post documenting her family’s latest vacation or a red carpet appearance alongside one of her A-list collaborators.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 27, 2026
Felix Passlack, a feisty and impressive operator in the rearguard battle, lost the run of himself.
From BBC • Apr. 26, 2026
Even though they weren’t flying combat missions, the air work that British women were doing was so impressive that the Americans decided they needed to check it out.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
