Meaning 1
Extremely pleasing, admirable, or enjoyable.
Reach for it when giving strong positive praise when a specific quality or experience supports it
The musicians gave a wonderful performance with warmth and precise balance.
Meaning 2
Causing a strong sense of wonder.
Reach for it when describing something extraordinary enough to inspire delighted amazement
The cave opened into a wonderful chamber of ice crystals.
| Meaning 1 | Meaning 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| playful | ||
| warm |
| |
| professional | ||
| formal | ||
| literary |
playful
Fits when enthusiastic informal praise fits
Careful Fantastic is often vague and can sound exaggerated in careful assessment.
warm
Fits when the experience gives light, sustained pleasure
Careful Delightful can sound too dainty for a powerful achievement.
professional
Fits when performance against a standard deserves strong approval
Careful Excellent is evaluative and does not carry wonderful's emotional pleasure.
formal
Fits when quality is demonstrably among the highest
Careful Superb is a stronger ranking claim and may overstate a personally enjoyable result.
warm
Fits when visual grandeur produces an intense physical response
Careful Breathtaking is hyperbolic for quiet or intellectual wonder.
formal
Fits when unexpected extraordinariness drives the response
Careful Astonishing can describe something alarming or bad, so it does not guarantee delight.
literary
Fits when wonder and admiration are both central
Careful Marvelous is more ornate and can feel dated in ordinary speech.
literary
Fits when awe deserves deliberately elevated language
Careful Wondrous is unsuitable for routine professional praise.
wonderful person
A wonderful person, Mara made newcomers feel useful without testing them.
wonderful experience
Learning directly from the instrument maker was a wonderful experience.
wonderful sight
The first returning storks were a wonderful sight above the marsh.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated
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