splendid
Americanadjective
-
gorgeous; magnificent; sumptuous.
- Antonyms:
- squalid
-
grand; superb, as beauty.
- Synonyms:
- first-rate, elegant, majestic
-
distinguished or glorious, as a name, reputation, victory, etc.
- Synonyms:
- noble, brilliant, remarkable, celebrated, conspicuous, eminent, illustrious, famous, famed, renowned
- Antonyms:
- ignoble, mediocre, unremarkable, ordinary
-
strikingly admirable or fine.
splendid talents.
-
excellent, fine, or very good.
to have a splendid time.
-
brilliant in appearance, color, etc.
adjective
-
brilliant or fine, esp in appearance
-
characterized by magnificence; imposing
-
glorious or illustrious
a splendid reputation
-
brightly gleaming; radiant
her splendid face
splendid colours
-
very good or satisfactory
a splendid time
Related Words
See magnificent ( def. ).
Other Word Forms
- splendidly adverb
- splendidness noun
- unsplendid adjective
- unsplendidly adverb
- unsplendidness noun
Etymology
Origin of splendid
First recorded in 1615–25; from Latin splendidus “brilliant,” equivalent to splend(ēre) “to shine” + -idus adjective suffix; -id 4
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 Spectre is also electric—in the case of the top-spec Black Badge version, extremely electric, with 650 hp to answer the most whispered summons with splendid excess.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026
In its many guises, idolatry has survived, despite regular and often cataclysmic proof of its dangers, for centuries and many people will consider a much-larger-than-life golden statue of a president to be perfectly splendid.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026
Her take is a maelstrom of splendid beauty and doomed love, colliding at a feverish pace that makes the fidelity to Brontë’s book moot.
From Salon • Feb. 23, 2026
Elsewhere, Augsburg beat St Pauli 2-1 and Werder Bremen's Keke Topp snatched a point with a splendid late goal at home in a 1-1 draw with Borussia Moenchengladbach.
From Barron's • Jan. 31, 2026
“A splendid idea, Melissa,” said Miss K, always eager for a new project.
From "Ralph S. Mouse" by Beverly Cleary
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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.