amazing

adjective

|Updated on: 18 Jun 2018

Examples: amazing in a Sentence

Editor's Note: Can amazing mean "good"?

Definition of amazing

: causing astonishment, great wonder, or surprise

an amazing story of personal bravery and survival

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See amazing defined for kids

Examples of amazing in a Sentence

He showed an amazing lack of concern for others.
The amazing thing is that no one knows where it came from.
He has an amazing ability to learn new languages.
Her grandmother was really an amazing woman.

Recent Examples of amazing from the Web

The amount of change in the last few years is amazing.

— bob narang, Elgin Courier-News, "'Unbelievable': Elgin graduate Courtese Cooper signs with LSU for men's basketball after winning national title at Triton," 14 June 2018
Lahoud has four caps (international appearances) for Sierra Leone and said the World Cup is amazing in its ability to pair the No.

— charlie hatch, Cincinnati.com, "FC Cincinnati has players who've played in FIFA World Cup Qualifiers," 13 June 2018
The young actress, Raina Thiegs of Crystal Lake, who is portraying Mary is amazing, Zellar said.

— sheryl devore, Lake County News-Sun, "PM&L finishes season with ‘The Secret Garden’," 12 June 2018
Klay Thompson yelled into megaphone and sprayed fans with champagne Parade Klay was amazing.

— alysha tsuji, For The Win, "10 best moments from Warriors championship parade," 12 June 2018
Rodman did a magnificent job of stealing the thunder from Donald Trump, and that will always be amazing.

— stephen a. crockett jr., The Root, "10 Reasons Dennis Rodman’s Summit Interview Was the Most Bizarre Must-Watch Television Moment in 2018," 12 June 2018
His power within the culinary community was amazing.

— leah bhabha, Vogue, "10 Chefs on the Incredible Impact of Anthony Bourdain," 8 June 2018
In television, Rogers saw an instrument with amazing, or terrible, potential.

— david sims, The Atlantic, "The Quietly Radical Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood," 4 June 2018
The tubs are amazing, there’s ample free camping just down the road, and the views of Sawtooth Ridge—the gateway to Yosemite—are unparalleled.

— joe jackson, Outside Online, "The Secret to Happiness? Hot Springs," 1 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'amazing.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Can amazing mean "good"?

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.

That being said, the use of amazing to indicate that something is slightly better than “pleasant” may provoke skepticism in others, so you are advised to know your audience before using it in this way.