wonderful means tending to excite wonder; surprising, extraordinary. It carries an Arena rating of 1501, earned across 2 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, wonderful ranks #2,077 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #2,468 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #3,487 of 17,134 for Most Malleable Words, #5,358 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words.
wonderful is pronounced /ˈwʌndəfl̩/.
Why “wonderful” is a great word
Possessing a quality that excites marvel or admiration by being extraordinarily good. From Middle English wonderful, from Old English wundorful ("wonderful"), from Proto-West Germanic *wundrafull, equivalent to wonder ("marvel") + -ful ("full of"). Unlike "awesome," which speaks to the intimidating grandeur of a mountain or a deity, or "common," which describes the unremarkable fabric of the everyday, wonderful names the specific excellence that delights and elevates. It is the unexpected kindness of a stranger, the perfect balance of flavor in a simple meal, or the sudden, clear note of a bird in a silent wood—those small, luminous breaches in the ordinary that remind us the world is still capable of surprise, stitching moments of grace into the familiar.
Etymology
From Middle English wonderful, wondirful, from Old English wundorful (“wonderful”), from Proto-West Germanic *wundrafull, equivalent to wonder + -ful. Cognate Dutch wondervol (“wonderful”), German wundervoll (“wonderful”). Compare Old English wuldorfull (“glorious”).
adj
- Tending to excite wonder; surprising, extraordinary.e.g.“His delusion was not wonderful, but most natural.”
- Surprisingly excellent; very good or admirable, extremely impressive.e.g.“They served a wonderful six-course meal.”
adv
- Exceedingly, to a great extent.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.