amazing

adjective

Definition of amazing

:causing astonishment, great wonder, or surprise

an amazing story of personal bravery and survival

See amazing defined for English-language learners

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 new STEM [science, technology engineering math] lab is amazing.

— peter marteka, Courant Community, "South Windsor's Orchard Hill Opens Its Doors To Students For The First Time," 30 Aug. 2017
For another great story about Southerners reaching out to their neighbors and making a huge difference in their community, check out this amazing coffee shop.

— jennifer chappell smith, Southern Living, ""Mattress Mack" Turns Stores Into Hurricane Shelters," 29 Aug. 2017
No one type of touch guarantees an amazing climax for everyone, but the women in a recent study said yes! yes! yes! most often to these.

— Health.com, "These Are the Moves That Really Make Women Orgasm, According to Science," 29 Aug. 2017
The most amazing stat is Osweiler was 12-of-22 passing in his two games ... and his longest completion was for only 10 yards.

— terry pluto, cleveland.com, "Cleveland Cavaliers trade with Boston Celtics, what happens next? -- Terry Pluto (video)," 29 Aug. 2017
The more recent one was Hurricane Dennis in 1981 when over a several day period an amazing 25 inches of rain fell on Homestead, drowning agricultural interests.

— doug phillips, Sun-Sentinel.com, "South Florida drys out as tropical disturbance moves away," 28 Aug. 2017
The Johns Hopkins seniors who ended their football careers last fall posted some amazing numbers during their days at Homewood Field.

— jeff seidel, baltimoresun.com, "Despite big losses, Johns Hopkins football hoping to remain class of Centennial Conference," 27 Aug. 2017
Kim and Darrin Wade, congrats on this amazing feat!

— malaika jabali, Essence.com, "Black Excellence: These Quadruplet Brothers Are All Headed To Yale This Fall," 22 Aug. 2017
But perhaps one of the most amazing things will be the night sky suddenly coming out in the middle of the day.

— jay bennett, Popular Mechanics, "You Will Be Able to See Four Planets During the Total Solar Eclipse," 21 Aug. 2017

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.