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Can amazing mean "good"?
Yes, it can.
One common complaint regarding the adjectival use of amazing is the extent to which the word is used in what some feel is a watered-down fashion. Those who take this position argue that unless someone is literally being amazed, the word is ill-chosen.
While this defense of semantic integrity is understandable, we must point out that the broadened meaning of amazing is hardly an isolated case. In fact, a number of words that are semantically similar to amazing have also come unmoored from their original meanings. Fabulous once meant “characteristic of fables," and the earliest known sense of terrific was “exciting fear or awe.” Although the weakened meanings of such words have elicited complaints, most of them have eventually become accepted into the language over the course of time.
Examples of amazing in a Sentence
Kathleen Peddicord, Forbes.com, 16 May 2025
Dominic Solanke works exceptionally hard but 15 goals in 42 appearances is not an amazing return from their club-record £65m striker.
—Carl Anka, New York Times, 16 May 2025
A lot of amazing stories that have aired have come from a collaboration between us and Ellen, and that’s why she’s been a part of the show for so long.
—Max Gao, Variety, 16 May 2025
So there was this amazing phone call from Tony to tell me the outline of what was going to happen for Kleya in season 2.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 15 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for amazing
Cite this Entry
“Amazing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amazing. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
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