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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
Dalton Ross, EW.com, 10 Apr. 2025
To me, every place has magic—there amazing secrets in its visuals and people.
—Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 9 Apr. 2025
Even the tiniest of living things are capable of some amazing forms of locomotion, and some come with highly sophisticated sensor suites and manage to source their energy from the environment.
—John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 9 Apr. 2025
We are committed to delivering people great seasons and arcs, and HBO was amazing about this.
—Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 9 Apr. 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 19 Apr. 2025.
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