What does wonderful mean?
Wonderful is an adjective meaning exceptionally good, enjoyable, impressive, or remarkable. In contemporary English, its most frequent use describes a person, experience, place, outcome, or object that inspires delight: a wonderful meal, a wonderful performance, or a wonderful holiday. It can also carry a more traditional sense of something extraordinary or awe-inspiring, although that nuance is less dominant in everyday use. The word is especially common in British and American speech, where it functions as a warm and direct expression of approval. Its enthusiasm can be somewhat subjective and may sound informal or exaggerated, as when someone calls an ordinary object wonderful. Despite its simple force, wonderful is useful because it combines genuine admiration with a strong emotional quality, making it more expressive than merely good and more approachable than more literary alternatives such as wondrous or transcendent.
adjectiveDelightful, excellent, or remarkable; inspiring wonder or admiration.
- Excellent, enjoyable, or highly pleasing, especially in describing an experience, person, or outcome.
- Extraordinary or remarkable in an impressive way.
- Inspiring awe or amazement.
"We had a wonderful time exploring the old town."
"The children looked wonderful in their handmade costumes."
"The scientist made a wonderful discovery that changed how the disease was understood."
Wonderful shares its roots with wonder: both express the idea of something so striking that it makes us pause and take notice.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does wonderful come from?
Wonderful developed in Middle English from the established word wonder and the suffix -ful, meaning “full of” or “characterized by.” Wonder itself has Old English roots in wundor, associated with awe, marvel, or a remarkable phenomenon. Related English forms such as wondrous and wonderment continue the same semantic history, with wondrous preserving a more literary emphasis on something awe-inspiring.
Related word forms
How wonderful is actually used
Wonderful is broadly positive and familiar in everyday British and American English. It can express sincere enthusiasm, but in informal conversation it may also sound slightly hyperbolic when used about ordinary things. The more elevated sense of something awe-inspiring is less common today than the sense of excellent or delightful.
Easily confused with wonderful
Wonderful is the ordinary modern word for something delightful or excellent, while wondrous is more literary and emphasizes something awe-inspiring or extraordinary.