wonderfully

wonderfully — adverb

1. to a very high degree or in an excellent way — used when something is very good,

1.adverbB1
Definition

to a very high degree or in an excellent way — used when something is very good, enjoyable, or impressive, such as a wonderfully clear sky or a wonderfully sung song.

Example

Léa thought the sunset was wonderfully beautiful, so she took a photo.

intensifier + adjective: wonderfully + beautiful

Eitan cooked the fish wonderfully, and everyone asked for his recipe.

verb + wonderfully (skill / ability)

Common collocations
  • cook wonderfully
  • sing wonderfully
  • wonderfully clear
  • wonderfully quiet
  • wonderfully beautiful
Synonyms
  • extremely

    more neutral and less admiring than wonderfully

  • marvelously

    similar in register and admiration, slightly more dramatic

  • excellently

    more formal and focused on high quality rather than delight

  • brilliantly

    often used for skill, intelligence, or performance

Antonyms
  • poorly

    opposite for the 'well' meaning — e.g. sang wonderfully vs. sang poorly

  • badly

    opposite for the 'well' meaning — e.g. grew wonderfully vs. grew badly

Grammar Patterns

wonderfully + adjective

verb + wonderfully

Usage Note

Commonly used before adjectives (wonderfully kind, wonderfully clear) and after verbs of skill or quality (sang wonderfully, grew wonderfully). Carries a positive or admiring tone — it is not typically used with negative words.

Common Mistakes

The team played wonderful.
The team played wonderfully.
'wonderful' is an adjective; use the adverb 'wonderfully' to modify verbs.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adverb/1

All four words describe something done to a high standard, but they differ in tone and typical context. 'Wonderfully' carries a warm, admiring feeling — it suggests not just skill but delight (a wonderfully kind gesture). 'Marvelously' is more dramatic and old-fashioned, often used for surprising or amazing results (a marvelously complex plan). 'Excellently' is more formal and neutral, focusing on quality rather than emotion (the report was excellently written). 'Brilliantly' emphasises sharpness, cleverness, or vividness (a brilliantly argued case). Use 'wonderfully' when you want to express personal pleasure or admiration; use 'excellently' in formal evaluations; use 'brilliantly' for intellectual or creative achievements.

wonderfully ↗marvelouslyexcellentlybrilliantly

Common collocations

Phrases

  • wonderfully + adjective (wonderfully clear, wonderfully kind)
  • verb + wonderfully (cook wonderfully, sing wonderfully)
  • wonderfully + past participle (wonderfully decorated, wonderfully written)

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Wonderfully comes from 'wonder' (an amazing or surprising thing) + '-ful' (full of) + '-ly' (forming adverbs). In Old English, 'wundor' meant a miracle or something that causes astonishment. Over time, the meaning softened from 'in a way that causes wonder' to the modern sense of 'extremely well.'