marvelous

[ mahr-vuh-luhs ]

adjective

1. superb; excellent; great:

   a marvelous show.

   Synonyms: wonderful

   Antonyms: terrible

2. such as to cause wonder, admiration, or astonishment; surprising; extraordinary.

   Synonyms: miraculous, amazing, wondrous

   Antonyms: commonplace

3. improbable or incredible:

   the marvelous events of Greek myth.

   Synonyms: unbelievable

Other Words From

• marvel·ous·ly adverb
• marvel·lous·ness noun
• super·marvel·ous adjective
• super·marvel·ous·ly adverb
• super·marvel·ous·ness noun
• un·marvel·lous adjective
• un·marvel·lous·ly adverb
• un·marvel·lous·ness noun
• un·marvel·ous adjective
• un·marvel·ous·ly adverb
• un·marvel·ous·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of marvelous¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English merve(il)lous, from Middle French merveilleus; equivalent to marvel + -ous

Example Sentences

Dime store museums, with their magicians, musicians, actors, charlatans, freaks, ventriloquists, and animal acts, each claiming to be the most marvelous of them all, were on the rise.

From Nautilus

Just goes to show you that manageable can still be marvelous.

From Washington Post

It manages by relying almost exclusively on Lauren Graham and her marvelous expressiveness to carry everything.

From Vox

Plus, it makes a marvelous gift for parents and kids birthdays.

From Popular-Science

Silk is a marvelous material with a long history and has many uses.

From Science News For Students

The song was so marvelous, the decision was made to add animation and pitch it to networks.

From The Daily Beast

Every discovery brings us closer to understanding how planets form in all their marvelous variety.

From The Daily Beast

Alison is played by the marvelous Tatiana Maslany, an actress who hails from Regina, Saskatchewan.

From The Daily Beast

If nobody is with us, we might watch something arty—there are marvelous channels of opera or concerts—then go to bed and read.

From The Daily Beast

Christmas is a season of marvelous and mystical experiences, and maybe it seems churlish to let science and history intrude.

From The Daily Beast

The rapid spread of the revolt was not a whit less marvelous than its lack of method or cohesion.

From Project Gutenberg

There was a while when I developed a marvelous capacity for dodging invitations to Fort Walsh.

From Project Gutenberg

The marvelous improvements in mechanism and tone production and control in 1886 to 1913 by Robt.

From Project Gutenberg

The box made the round of the table, and every one was fervently eloquent about the marvelous resemblance.

From Project Gutenberg

Yet the word vagrant is a misnomer in this city, where economy has reached a finesse that is marvelous.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• astonishing
• astounding
• awe-inspiring
• awesome
• breathtaking
• extraordinary
• fabulous
• fantastic
• implausible
• improbable
• incredible
• miraculous
• phenomenal
• remarkable
• singular
• spectacular
• strange
• stunning
• unbelievable
• unusual

More About Marvelous

What does marvelous mean?

Marvelous means wonderful, extraordinary, fabulous, superb, excellent. In this sense, it is often used to praise things like works of art and artistic performances.

Marvelous is the adjective form of the noun marvel, which most commonly means a thing that causes wonder. Marvelous can mean causing wonder, as well as improbable, but both of these senses are much less common than its primary meaning of “wonderful.”

In British English, it is commonly spelled marvellous.

Example: That was absolutely marvelous! What a wonderful show! Bravo!

Where does marvelous come from?

The first records of marvelous come from the 1300s. It comes from the Middle French merveilleus. Marvel derives from Latin mīrābilis, from mīrārī, “to marvel or wonder at.” The suffix -ous is used to form adjectives and means “possessing” or “full of.” So something that’s marvelous is full of marvels or wonders.

It’s no surprise, then, that the closest synonym of marvelous is wonderful. But marvelous is less commonly used and often has an extra sense of class and elegance to it. Picture a fancy-dress ball: a guest could praise the host by saying “great party,” but it would be much classier to say, “What a marvelous gala!”

You call things marvelous when they’re excellent and impressive. Most of the time, this ends up being grand artistic things, like the performance of an opera singer, an award-winning film, or an exquisite dish at a fine-dining restaurant. It’s often further emphasized, such as in phrases like simply marvelous and absolutely marvelous.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to marvelous?

• marvellous (British English spelling)
• marvel (noun, verb)
• marvelously (adverb)
• marvellousness (noun)

What are some synonyms for marvelous?

• wonderful
• extraordinary
• fabulous
• superb
• excellent

What are some words that share a root or word element with marvelous? 

 

• marvel

 

What are some words that often get used in discussing marvelous?

 

• simply
• absolutely
• performance
• show

How is marvelous used in real life?

Marvelous means about the same thing as wonderful, but it’s less commonly used. When it is, it’s often applied to things like performances and works of art.

Underground was a marvelous, marvelous show that changed my scholarship, and I’m sad it only got two seasons

— 🙅🏽‍♀️ Chanda #COLA4ALL Prescod-Weinstein 🙅🏽‍♀️ (@IBJIYONGI) November 3, 2019

Reggae has a marvelous way of easing my mind when I think my mind can't be eased.

— Reggae Lyrics (@reggae_words) August 4, 2014

Here's a pencil test of Moses at the burning bush from The Prince of Egypt animated by the legendary James Baxter. This is simply marvelous work. pic.twitter.com/WAsylLXyZM

— Animated Antic (@Animated_Antic) March 14, 2020

 

 

Try using marvelous!

Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of marvelous?

A. wonderful
B. incredible
C. mediocre
D. phenomenal