Bang-up
adj.capable, joyfulplayful
What it means
Exceptionally good or completed with impressive skill.
Reach for it when offering lively informal praise for work or a result
The trainees did a bang-up job cataloguing the archive.
Choose between these
5- everyday
enthusiastic approval is more important than precision
not when Terrific can overstate a solid but unremarkable piece of work.
- warm
the result deserves delighted, slightly old-fashioned praise
not when Splendid may sound affected in direct workplace feedback.
- professional
strong all-purpose praise should suit any audience
not when Excellent is restrained and misses the cheerful punch of bang-up.
- formal
skill and polish are the specific virtues
not when Accomplished fits a person or performance better than a fortunate outcome.
- formal
quality ranks among the best available
not when First-rate can sound evaluative rather than warmly celebratory.
Said against
3- poor
- shoddy
- mediocre
It naturally appears in
3- bang-up job
The volunteers did a bang-up job repairing every donated bicycle.
- bang-up performance
A bang-up performance closed the festival on a high note.
- bang-up success
The neighborhood supper was a bang-up success despite the rain.
Where this comes from
Bang-up is informal and somewhat dated. It may be misunderstood as describing a collision.
- Wiktionary, English adjective sense: excellent or first-rate opens in a new tab · retrieved 2026-07-26
The definition and the example on this page are written here. The dictionaries above ground which meaning is being described, not the wording.