marvelous
Americanadjective
-
superb; excellent; great.
a marvelous show.
- Synonyms:
- wonderful
- Antonyms:
- terrible
-
such as to cause wonder, admiration, or astonishment; surprising; extraordinary.
- Synonyms:
- miraculous, amazing, wondrous
- Antonyms:
- commonplace
-
improbable or incredible.
the marvelous events of Greek myth.
- Synonyms:
- unbelievable
Usage
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!
Other Word Forms
- marvellousness noun
- marvelously adverb
- supermarvelous adjective
- supermarvelously adverb
- supermarvelousness noun
- unmarvellous adjective
- unmarvellously adverb
- unmarvellousness noun
- unmarvelous adjective
- unmarvelously adverb
- unmarvelousness noun
Etymology
Origin of marvelous
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English merve(il)lous, from Middle French merveilleus; equivalent to marvel + -ous
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.
A marvelous Rhea Seehorn stars in the Apple TV sci-fi series, which explores the nature of happiness and an individual’s right to be discontented.
From Los Angeles Times
Coolidge saw in “the marvelous history of the Jewish people” a special lesson in their “capacity for adaptation in detail, without surrender of essentials.”
Homer rewards close lookers with marvelous touches created by many techniques, from over-drawing and layering of paints, both translucent and opaque, to dry brush application and paint-scraping—didactics in this gallery explain them.
And Morris displayed, in this marvelous outer-space dance adventure, that wonder could exist in what had become the most unlikely of places.
From Los Angeles Times
This marvelous biography of Aimee Semple McPherson reasserts her vital place in Los Angeles’ history.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
