wonderful
Americanadjective
-
excellent; great; marvelous.
We all had a wonderful weekend.
- Synonyms:
- phenomenal, astounding, amazing, astonishing, prodigious, miraculous, wondrous, awesome, strange, curious, unique
-
of a sort that causes or arouses wonder; amazing; astonishing.
The storm was wonderful to behold.
adjective
-
exciting a feeling of wonder; marvellous or strange
-
extremely fine; excellent
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of wonderful
First recorded before 1100; wonder ( def. ) + -ful ( def. )
Explanation
Wonderful is better than good — it's even better than great, like your wonderful luck — finding buried treasure on your very first diving expedition. When you look at the parts that make us wonderful, it is easy to see that it means "full of wonder," or awe, admiration, even surprise. The giant Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lit up in all its splendor is a wonderful sight — tourists and New Yorkers alike stop to stare. Other things that are wonderful are very personal to you, like wonderful memories of spending time with your grandparents.
Vocabulary lists containing wonderful
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Thumbs Up: Synonyms for "Good"
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"A Poem for My Librarian, Mrs. Long," Vocabulary from the poem
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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.
"For us Americans who don't know a lot about soccer... it's wonderful, he's amazing."
From BBC • Jul. 11, 2026
It was really wonderful to see the anticipation on everyone’s face in the crew about what outfit I was going to show up in and what wild thing I was going to say.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 8, 2026
Shortly after Aang, the Avatar, emerged from the ice that hid him for a century, it was plain to see that this show was its own wonderful, all-ages treat.
From Salon • Jul. 8, 2026
"I'll let our wonderful negotiators keep talking if they want, but I don't see it. I don't like these people."
From Barron's • Jul. 8, 2026
“My wonderful, clever little bird,” he said, his face shifting, a shadow sweeping across what had been Boaz, revealing the favored red hair and glinting eyes of the Prince of Demons.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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.
