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.
| playful |
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| everyday | |
| warm | |
| professional | |
| formal |
playful
mind-blowing
Fits when extreme surprise suits very casual enthusiasm
Careful Mind-blowing is more slangy and less suitable for dignified praise.
everyday
Fits when the result far exceeds reasonable expectation
Careful Astonishing may describe alarming facts as readily as admirable ones.
everyday
Fits when large visual impact and excitement are central
Careful Spectacular can praise display while overlooking precision or substance.
warm
Fits when beauty or scale creates a moment of wonder
Careful Breathtaking is too lyrical for a technical performance metric.
warm
Fits when beauty or excellence produces immediate admiration
Careful Stunning is now common enough to understate a truly exceptional result.
professional
Fits when the evidence merits notice without theatrical language
Careful Remarkable is deliberately measured and loses the intensity of jaw-dropping.
formal
Fits when unusual quality can be supported in restrained prose
Careful Extraordinary lacks the vivid physical reaction implied by jaw-dropping.
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.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Vealhurl, Southern England accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated
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