wonderful

wonderful — adjective

1. extremely pleasant, enjoyable, or satisfying — making you feel happy or content.

1.adjectiveA2
Definition

extremely pleasant, enjoyable, or satisfying — making you feel happy or content.

Example

Nadia received wonderful news about her scholarship this morning.

collocation: wonderful news

The Watanabe family spent a wonderful week at the beach last summer.

collocation: wonderful week / wonderful time

Common collocations
  • wonderful + time / day / week / holiday / weekend
  • wonderful + news / surprise / feeling / experience
  • wonderful + place / meal / evening
  • absolutely / really / truly / so + wonderful
Synonyms
  • great

    more casual and extremely common; less emotional weight than 'wonderful'

  • lovely

    warmer and more personal; often used for experiences and people

  • delightful

    slightly more formal; emphasizes the pleasure something gives

  • fantastic

    more informal and emphatic; common in British and American speech

Antonyms
  • terrible

    direct opposite; describes extremely bad experiences

  • awful

    strongly negative; the opposite of 'wonderful' in everyday use

Usage Note

Frequently used to describe experiences, times, news, and concrete things that bring happiness. Common in exclamations and everyday conversation.

Common Mistakes

The weather is wonderful for the whole week, so we will go hiking every day.
The weather will be wonderful all week, so we are planning to go hiking every day.
'wonderful' describes a state or quality, not a process; use it with 'be' rather than as a progressive verb.

2. extremely good in a way that causes surprise, admiration, or wonder — impressive

2.adjectiveB1
Definition

extremely good in a way that causes surprise, admiration, or wonder — impressive beyond what is usual.

Example

The view from Huangshan's peak was so wonderful that Yuki stood speechless for a moment.

pattern: so + adjective + that-clause

Caleb gave a wonderful performance of Beethoven's violin concerto.

collocation: wonderful performance

Common collocations
  • wonderful + performance / achievement / work / skill
  • wonderful + view / sight / sculpture / building
  • absolutely / truly / simply + wonderful
Synonyms
  • marvelous

    more literary; stronger sense of awe (common in British English)

  • superb

    more formal; suggests the highest standard of quality

  • magnificent

    grand in scale; often used for views, buildings, and large achievements

  • astonishing

    emphasizes the element of surprise more than 'wonderful'

Antonyms

Usage Note

Stronger than the 'extremely pleasant' sense — this meaning carries a sense of awe. Often used with intensifiers like 'absolutely', 'truly', or 'simply'. Common in formal reviews, descriptions of art, nature, and skill.

Common Mistakes

She is wonderful at playing piano.
She is wonderful at playing the piano.
The definite article 'the' is needed before musical instruments in this pattern.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

'Great' is the most neutral and widely used of these — it can describe almost anything positive, from a cup of coffee to a life-changing event, but carries little emotional weight. 'Wonderful' adds warmth and a sense of personal delight; it fits experiences, news, and things that bring joy. 'Fantastic' is more informal and emphatic, common in everyday British and American speech when excitement is high. 'Marvelous' leans slightly literary and suggests a touch of wonder or admiration, making it a good choice for describing something that impresses you deeply. 'Superb' is the most formal and restrained, used when something meets the very highest standard — it fits reviews, formal praise, and professional contexts. For everyday positive experiences, 'great' and 'wonderful' are the safest choices; reserve 'superb' for situations where you genuinely want to signal top quality.

great ↗fantastic ↗marvelous ↗superb ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • have a wonderful time
  • what a wonderful idea
  • wonderful to see
  • a wonderful sense of

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Formed in Middle English from 'wonder' (from Old English 'wundor', meaning a marvel or astonishing thing) and the suffix '-ful' (meaning 'full of'). The word originally meant 'full of wonder' or 'causing wonder', and over time broadened to cover anything extremely good or pleasant.