: causing astonishment, great wonder, or surprise
an amazing story of personal bravery and survival
Did you know?
One common complaint regarding the adjectival use of amazing is the extent to which the word is used in what some feel is a watered-down fashion. Those who take this position argue that unless someone is literally being amazed, the word is ill-chosen.
While this defense of semantic integrity is understandable, we must point out that the broadened meaning of amazing is hardly an isolated case. In fact, a number of words that are semantically similar to amazing have also come unmoored from their original meanings. Fabulous once meant “characteristic of fables,» and the earliest known sense of terrific was “exciting fear or awe.” Although the weakened meanings of such words have elicited complaints, most of them have eventually become accepted into the language over the course of time.
That being said, the use of amazing to indicate that something is slightly better than “pleasant” may provoke skepticism in others, so you are advised to know your audience before using it in this way.
Synonyms
Example Sentences
He showed an amazing lack of concern for others.
The amazing thing is that no one knows where it came from.
He has an amazing ability to learn new languages.
Her grandmother was really an amazing woman.
Recent Examples on the Web
That would be amazing for morale.
—
Daniel Kohn, SPIN, 29 Mar. 2023
Watching Johnny do the hours was amazing.
—Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2023
As the train approaches the San Diego area, the ocean views from inside the train are amazing.
—David Schechter, Haley Rush, CBS News, 28 Mar. 2023
That would be amazing given that Townsend is a former gymnast who used to enjoy competing on the bars, vault and floor exercise.
—Greg Riddle, Dallas News, 28 Mar. 2023
Whereas Great Van Fleet are amazing at playing lemon-squeezing, Zep-style rock, Joy Division dopplegang the hell out of influential post-punk band Joy Division.
—Matt Wake | Mwake@al.com, al, 28 Mar. 2023
The sunrise from our bedroom window is amazing.
—Globe Columnist, BostonGlobe.com, 27 Mar. 2023
The process is fun, the price point is great, and the sleep is amazing.
—John Thompson, Men’s Health, 27 Mar. 2023
What was amazing, what was meh.
—Marianne Willburn, Better Homes & Gardens, 27 Mar. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word ‘amazing.’ Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
from present participle of amaze entry 1
First Known Use
1593, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of amazing was
in 1593
Dictionary Entries Near amazing
Cite this Entry
“Amazing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amazing. Accessed 14 Apr. 2023.
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More from Merriam-Webster on amazing
Last Updated:
31 Mar 2023
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
Use the adjective amazing to describe something that is so good, it surprises you, like the amazing beauty of the Rocky Mountains or the amazing feats of a truly great athlete.
Amazing, like incredible, awesome, and fabulous, is used so often to describe things that are just really good, you sometimes forget that its real meaning is reserved for things that are especially remarkable. The base word in amazing is amaze, which means «to astound or perplex.» So amazing should be reserved for things that do just that.
Definitions of amazing
-
adjective
inspiring awe or admiration or wonder
“New York is an
amazing city”-
synonyms:
awe-inspiring, awesome, awful, awing
-
impressive
making a strong or vivid impression
-
impressive
-
adjective
surprising greatly
“she does an
amazing amount of work”-
synonyms:
astonishing
-
surprising
causing surprise or wonder or amazement
-
surprising
DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘amazing’.
Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors.
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Not to mention the camera’s amazing ability to selectivly focus on the object when foreground/background elements are blurred..amazing! ❋ Mac (2007)
With every scene we heard the word perfect more times than we heard the word amazing in the previous episodes. ❋ Hemanshu Nigam (2011)
On Monday night’s Jimmy Kimmel Live, Kimmel made the announcement, and swore Hebert in to her new job by making her promise things such as to «use the word amazing eight to 40 times per show» and «not fall in love with a man who wears a Speedo.» ❋ Unknown (2011)
I just now located this specific blog page plus I just need to point out that this amazing is a nice page. ❋ Unknown (2010)
If they took the word ‘amazing‘ out of the MTV awards it would be only 9 minutes long. ❋ Deckstein (2011)
Canadian Milos Raonic is on what he calls an amazing run, and he’s not ready to stop after using his powerful serve to beat Mardy Fish 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 Saturday in the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships semifinals. ❋ TERESA M. WALKER (2011)
Lawrie Robinson of Seattle did an early return on his 2009 Acura MDX because the dealer offered what he calls «amazing lease terms» on a brand new model. ❋ Unknown (2011)
She said the two had a «very special» bond, which she described as «amazing.» ❋ The Huffington Post News Editors (2011)
Each of the astronauts spent a few moments alone in the dome late Thursday, taking in what they described as amazing and stunning views of Earth. ❋ PhysOrg Team (2010)
After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, each of the astronauts spent a few moments alone in the dome, taking in what they described as amazing and stunning views of Earth. ❋ Unknown (2010)
[Everything] [Alex] is and does is amazing to me. ❋ Renee (2004)
[you are] amazing ❋ Jimmy3207 (2019)
[Did you] [see] that? It was amazing. ❋ Arizonabay (2010)
[jamie] is amazing and [i love her] ❋ Harry Rothrock (2007)
Mike [Lyons] is amazing — [love you] forever [xxx] ❋ Hollyjulietbondw (2009)
derak H. is amazing ❋ Mckenzieh. (2010)
[Luke] is [the most amazing] [kiddo] ever! ❋ Boop Boop Boop (2007)
[Jen]: I love Bob soooo much<3 wanna know why? cause he’s amazing.
Bob: Jen, you’re amazing gurl. i love you.
———————————-
[Cathy]: OMG. don’t Jen and Bob make the most amazing couple ever?
Beth: say that word again and i’ll [jizz in] your eye. ❋ Donttttbestupid (2009)
The most AMAZING [photo] you will EVER see ([PIC])
[Title] says it all! ❋ PPL_Wannabe (2007)
1. Dude [that thing] was amazing——
2. [Wow], [you are] amazing. ❋ W0t Teh Fr!ck (2015)
удивительный, изумительный, поразительный
прилагательное ↓
- удивительный, поразительный
an amazing event [transformation, story] — удивительное событие [превращение, -ая история] 
- эмоц.-усил. потрясающий, изумительный
my wife is an amazing woman — моя жена
the new car has amazing speed — у нового автомобиля потрясающая скорость
Мои примеры
Словосочетания
the amazing dexterity of the acrobat — поразительная ловкость акробата.
an amazing variety of coastal flora — удивительное разнообразие прибрежной флоры
designs of amazing intricacy and sophistication — конструкции / композиции удивительной сложности и изощрённости
amazing brilliancy of colours — поразительная яркость красок
by some amazing fluke — по поразительно удачному совпадению
an amazing event — удивительное событие
amount of work he has done is amazing — просто удивительно, какую он проделал огромную работу
an amazing story — удивительная история
an amazing transformation — удивительное превращение
man of amazing impudence — удивительно наглый человек
new car has amazing speed — у нового автомобиля потрясающая скорость
it is amazing — диво
Примеры с переводом
New York is an amazing city!
Нью-Йорк — потрясающий город!
It was amazing how much we managed to do in a day.
Поразительно, сколько нам удалось сделать всего за один день.
It’s amazing how often you see drivers using mobile phones.
Удивительно, как часто можно увидеть водителей, использующих мобильные телефоны (за рулём).
It was amazing that she was able to solve the problem so quickly.
Поразительно, что она так быстро смогла решить эту задачу.
His vocal range is amazing.
Его вокальный диапозон поразителен.
She has an amazing facility for languages.
Ей удивительно легко даются иностранные языки.
The most amazing things about nature is its infinite variety.
Наиболее поразительное в природе — её бесконечное разнообразие.
ещё 23 примера свернуть
Примеры, ожидающие перевода
They’ve accomplished some pretty amazing things. 
…notebooks filled with his intellections on an amazing array of topics…
What ultimately frustrated every challenger was Ruth’s amazing September surge
Для того чтобы добавить вариант перевода, кликните по иконке ☰, напротив примера.
Возможные однокоренные слова
a·maze
(ə-māz′)
v. a·mazed, a·maz·ing, a·maz·es
v.tr.
1. To affect with great wonder; astonish. See Synonyms at surprise.
2. Obsolete To bewilder; perplex.
v.intr.
To cause great wonder or astonishment: a sight that amazes.
[From Middle English masen, to bewilder, and from amased, bewildered (from Old English āmasod), both from Old English āmasian, to bewilder : ā-, intensive pref. + *masian, to confuse.]
a·maz′ed·ly (ə-mā′zĭd-lē) adv.
a·maz′ed·ness n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
amazing
(əˈmeɪzɪŋ)
adj
causing wonder or astonishment: amazing feats.
aˈmazingly adv
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
a•maz•ing
(əˈmeɪ zɪŋ)
adj.
causing great surprise or sudden wonder.
[1520–30]
a•maz′ing•ly, adv.
Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
| Adj. | 1. |  amazing — surprising greatly; «she does an amazing amount of work»; «the dog was capable of astonishing tricks»
surprising — causing surprise or wonder or amazement; «the report shows a surprising lack of hard factual data»; «leaped up with surprising agility»; «she earned a surprising amount of money» |
| 2. |  amazing — inspiring awe or admiration or wonder; «New York is an amazing city»; «the Grand Canyon is an awe-inspiring sight»; «the awesome complexity of the universe»; «this sea, whose gently awful stirrings seem to speak of some hidden soul beneath»- Melville; «Westminster Hall’s awing majesty, so vast, so high, so silent»
impressive — making a strong or vivid impression; «an impressive ceremony» |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
amazing
adjective astonishing, striking, surprising, brilliant, stunning, impressive, overwhelming, staggering, sensational (informal), bewildering, breathtaking, astounding, eye-opening, wondrous (archaic or literary), mind-boggling, jaw-dropping, stupefying, gee-whizz (slang), startling It’s amazing what we can remember with a little prompting.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002
amazing
adjective
So remarkable as to elicit disbelief:
astonishing, astounding, fabulous, fantastic, fantastical, incredible, marvelous, miraculous, phenomenal, prodigious, stupendous, unbelievable, wonderful, wondrous.
The American Heritage® Roget’s Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
удивителен
úžasnýohromující
forbløffendeutroligforbavsende
ällistyttävähämmästyttävä
zapanjujući
stórfurîulegur, undraverîur, ótrúlegur
驚くべき
놀라운
osupljiv
otrolig
น่าประหลาดใจ
đáng kinh ngạc
amazing
[əˈmeɪzɪŋ] ADJ
1. (= astonishing) → asombroso
that’s amazing news! → ¡es una noticia asombrosa!
Collins Spanish Dictionary — Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
amazing
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
amaze
(əˈmeiz) verb
to surprise greatly. I was amazed at his stupidity.
aˈmazement noun
great surprise. To my amazement, he had never heard of her.
aˈmazing adjective
an amazing sight.
aˈmazingly adverb
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
amazing
→ مُدْهِش úžasný forbløffende erstaunend καταπληκτικός asombroso ällistyttävä merveilleux zapanjujući meraviglioso 驚くべき 놀라운 verbazingwekkend forbausende zdumiewający extraordinário изумительный otrolig น่าประหลาดใจ hayret verici đáng kinh ngạc 令人惊异的
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
- Top Definitions
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- British
This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.
[ uh—mey-zing ]
/ əˈmeɪ zɪŋ /
This shows grade level based on the word’s complexity.
adjective
causing great surprise or sudden wonder: He wowed the audience with amazing feats of magical illusion.
excellent; wonderful: In addition to amazing tour leaders, many of our programs are accompanied by university faculty who are experts on the destination.
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Origin of amazing
First recorded in 1520–30; amaze + -ing2
OTHER WORDS FROM amazing
a·maz·ing·ly, adverb
Words nearby amazing
amaze, amazeballs, amazed, amazement, Amaziah, amazing, “Amazing Grace”, Amazon, Amazon ant, Amazonas, Amazon cherry
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Words related to amazing
How to use amazing in a sentence
-
You were so everything and then you’re still doing it and so amazing.
-
So, I think we need to be getting through this, but also thinking about, what do we do when we’re through all of this to make sure that we’re sharing the benefits of this amazing economy much more broadly, much more fairly.
-
This was our first-ever all-virtual conference, and it demonstrated the amazing possibilities of the format.
-
I wish I could say we had a pandemic playbook on the shelf, but what we do have is an amazing seasoned team that we’ve spiked with new talent.
-
A useful feature, among other things, is that you can sort your keywords by their length — this helps you better target those amazing long-tail keywords, which usually bring your videos a lot of clicks.
-
What an amazing thing to be able to listen to any music you want, a whole world of bands.
-
It got it all out there… Gene Hackman and Douglas… Melvyn Douglas is amazing.
-
Amazing how people can still haul this one out with a straight face.
-
You had some pretty amazing special guests, from members of the Replacements to Stevie Nicks.
-
On the show, it led to this half-comical, half-horrifying, but 100 percent amazing moment.
-
There chanced to be a forked tree close at hand, to which the major rushed and scrambled up with amazing rapidity.
-
But the novel disappeared under the clothes with amazing celerity as the voice of her sister-in-law demanded admission.
-
Herbert brings amazing fine detail about the night and day battle on the high ridges.
-
No ill use has been made of these privileges; but the domain and wealth of Great Britain have received amazing addition.
-
The position tried him sorely, testing his new strength from such amazing and unexpected angles.
British Dictionary definitions for amazing
adjective
causing wonder or astonishmentamazing feats
Derived forms of amazing
amazingly, adverb
Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
- amazing
- [ə’meɪzɪŋ]
прил.
изумительный, ошеломительный, ошеломляющий, поразительный, удивительный
It was amazing to watch them perform. — Было забавно наблюдать, как они выступают.
It was amazing that she was able to solve the problem so quickly. — Поразительно, что она так быстро смогла решить задачу.
Syn:
Англо-русский современный словарь.
2014.
Смотреть что такое «amazing» в других словарях:
-
Amazing — or Amazin may refer to: * Amazing (Aerosmith song) * Amazing (High and Mighty Color song) * Amazing (George Michael song) * Amazing (Madonna song) * Amazing (Westlife song) * Amazing (Alex Lloyd song) * Amazing (Seal song) *A*mazing, an… … Wikipedia
-
Amazing — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Amazing puede referirse a: «Amazing», una canción de Madonna. «Amazing», una canción de George Michael. «Amazing», una canción de Aerosmith. Obtenido de Amazing Categoría: Wikipedia:Desambiguación … Wikipedia Español
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Amazing — Studioalbum von Banaroo Veröffentlichung 24. März 2006 Aufnahme 2006 Label … Deutsch Wikipedia
-
Amazing — A*maz ing, a. Causing amazement; very wonderful; as, amazing grace. {A*maz ing*ly}, adv. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
-
amazing — index extraordinary, ineffable, noteworthy, portentous (eliciting amazement), remarkable, special, unaccustomed, unusual … Law dictionary
-
amazing — (adj.) early 15c., stupefactive; 1590s, dreadful; prp. adjective from AMAZE (Cf. amaze). Sense of wonderful is recorded from 1704. Related: Amazingly … Etymology dictionary
-
amazing — [adj] astonishing awesome, fascinating, incredible, marvelous, prodigious, shocking, stunning, surprising, unbelievable, wonderful; concepts 547,572 … New thesaurus
-
amazing — ► ADJECTIVE 1) causing great surprise or wonder; astonishing. 2) informal very good or impressive. DERIVATIVES amazingly adverb … English terms dictionary
-
amazing — adj. 1) amazing to + inf. (it was amazing to watch them perform) 2) amazing that + clause (it was amazing that she was able to solve the problem so quickly) * * * [ə meɪzɪŋ] amazing that + clause (it was amazing that she was able to solve the… … Combinatory dictionary
-
amazing — adj. VERBS ▪ be, look, sound, taste ▪ find sb/sth ADVERB ▪ absolutely, pretty, rathe … Collocations dictionary
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amazing — a|maz|ing [ ə meızıŋ ] adjective ** 1. ) very surprising: She told me an amazing story. It s amazing how stupid people can be. a ) used about something surprising that is also very impressive: Their last CD sold an amazing 2 million copies. I… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
-
Defenition of the word amazing
- Causing wonder, admiration or astonishment.
- Causing great surprise or sudden wonder.
- surprising greatly; «she does an amazine amount of work»; «the dog was capable of astonishing tricks»
- inspiring awe or admiration or wonder; «New York is an amazing city»; «the Grand Canyon is an awe-inspiring sight»; «the awesome complexity of the universe»; «this sea, whose gently awful stirrings seem to speak of some hidden soul beneath»- Melville; «Westminster Hall’s awing majesty, so vast, so high, so silent»
- inspiring awe or admiration or wonder; «New York is an amazing city»; «the Grand Canyon is an awe-inspiring sight»; «the awesome complexity of the universe»; «this sea, whose gently awful stirrings seem to speak of some hidden soul beneath»- Melville; «We
- surprising greatly; «she does an amazing amount of work»; «the dog was capable of astonishing tricks»
- inspiring awe or admiration or wonder
- surprising greatly
Synonyms for the word amazing
-
- astonishing
- awe-inspiring
- awesome
- awful
- awing
Similar words in the amazing
-
- impressive
- surprising
See other words
-
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