Jaw-dropping
adj.energetic, joyfulplayful
What it means
So impressive, beautiful, or surprising that it provokes amazement.
Reach for it when giving emphatic informal praise to an extraordinary sight or achievement
Her jaw-dropping final leap brought the entire arena to its feet.
Choose between these
7- playful
mind-blowing
extreme surprise suits very casual enthusiasm
not when Mind-blowing is more slangy and less suitable for dignified praise.
- everyday
the result far exceeds reasonable expectation
not when Astonishing may describe alarming facts as readily as admirable ones.
- everyday
large visual impact and excitement are central
not when Spectacular can praise display while overlooking precision or substance.
- warm
beauty or scale creates a moment of wonder
not when Breathtaking is too lyrical for a technical performance metric.
- warm
beauty or excellence produces immediate admiration
not when Stunning is now common enough to understate a truly exceptional result.
- professional
the evidence merits notice without theatrical language
not when Remarkable is deliberately measured and loses the intensity of jaw-dropping.
- formal
unusual quality can be supported in restrained prose
not when Extraordinary lacks the vivid physical reaction implied by jaw-dropping.
Said against
3- ordinary
- underwhelming
- predictable
It naturally appears in
3- jaw-dropping view
A jaw-dropping view opened beyond the last bend in the trail.
- jaw-dropping performance
The soloist gave a jaw-dropping performance without sacrificing tenderness.
- jaw-dropping detail
Jaw-dropping detail emerged when the restored map was unrolled.
The word family
1Where this comes from
- Wiktionary, English adjective sense: amazingly impressive or surprising 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.