impressed

impressed — verb

1. to make someone feel admiration or respect for you, usually because of a skill,

1.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to make someone feel admiration or respect for you, usually because of a skill, achievement, or quality you show.

Example

Tuan impressed the recruiters with his confident answers during the second interview.

impress + someone + with + noun phrase

The young pianist impressed the entire audience by playing a difficult piece from memory.

impress + someone + by + verb-ing

Common collocations
  • impress the judges
  • impress an audience
  • impress a boss
  • impress someone with
  • impress someone by
Synonyms
  • dazzle

    stronger, suggesting brilliant or flashy performance; less formal

  • wow

    informal, expresses strong admiration or surprise

  • awe

    stronger, suggesting overwhelming admiration mixed with wonder

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

impress + someone + with/by + noun phrase

Usage Note

Commonly used with 'with' (what you show) or 'by' (what you do). Frequently in past participle form as an adjective (see adjective entry).

Common Mistakes

He impressed me by his new car.
He impressed me with his new car.
'impress someone with something' is the standard pattern for showing a possession or quality.
She impressed the exam.
She impressed the examiners with her answers.
The object of 'impress' must be a person or an audience, not a thing.

impressed — adjective

Word family

  • impress
    verbB1
  • impression
    nounB1
  • impressive
    adjectiveB1
  • impressively
    adverbB2
  • unimpressed
    adjectiveB2
  • unimpressive
    adjectiveB2
  • impressionable
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words describe a positive reaction to something good, but they differ in strength and tone. 'Impressed' is the most neutral and common — you feel someone or something meets a high standard. 'Admiring' is more deliberate: you actively appreciate a specific quality. 'Awed' is much stronger, suggesting something so impressive it nearly overwhelms you — an awe-inspiring view, not a well-written report. 'Taken with' is informal and often carries a hint of surprise: 'I wasn't expecting much, but I was quite taken with her singing.' Use 'admiring' when you want to focus on the act of appreciation; use 'impressed' for everyday situations where something meets or exceeds your standard; save 'awed' for rare, powerful experiences.

admiringawedtaken withimpressed ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • be impressed by
  • be impressed with
  • look impressed
  • remain unimpressed

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

'Impress' comes from Latin 'impressus', the past participle of 'imprimere' (to press into or upon), from 'in-' (into) + 'premere' (to press). The original physical meaning was to stamp or mark a surface by pressing. Over time, the idea of leaving a mark on someone's mind gave rise to the figurative meaning 'to make a strong effect on the mind or feelings,' which by the 1700s had grown into the modern sense of winning admiration or respect.