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.
Howell and Sloyan are quite wonderful in these moments, and Howell is exceptional throughout.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Red wine vinegar is wonderful with hearty lentil, bean and farro soups, and I love it in beef stew.
From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026
In a statement announcing her death on Wednesday, Dame Esther's family paid tribute to the "most wonderful mother" and "cherished grandmother" whose compassion would live on through her charities.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
“It’s so wonderful that she put thought into it,” said Jennifer B. Goode, senior national director of the wealth-strategies group at Bernstein Private Wealth Management.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 28, 2026
It tastes incredibly wonderful and I drink it down in one long swallow.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
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.
