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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
Jenn Rice, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
What an amazing display of Mother Nature at her finest.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 21 Apr. 2025
Coachella also wrapped up in amazing fashion, building anticipation for next year’s festival in Indio.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 21 Apr. 2025
Women were calling in from all parts of the country and want to spend XY and Z and [asked to] ‘pull an amazing rack for me,’ something unique and custom to the location.
—Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 21 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 4 May. 2025.
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