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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
Karin Wulf, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 July 2025
Looking for an amazing place to celebrate the Fourth of July?
—Everett Potter, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025
There are many amazing people doing amazing things in the world.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 30 June 2025
So the security is amazing — natural and otherwise.
—Kathryn Watson, CBS News, 30 June 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 10 Jul. 2025.
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