as in sensational
arousing a strong and usually superficial interest or emotional reaction
most of the movie's budget must have gone for its gee-whiz special effects
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Recent Examples of gee-whiz
Kevin Koenig, Robb Report, 21 Nov. 2025
The Institute never achieves either emotional potency or any sense of gee-whiz spectacle.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2025
Perseverance's aurora observations, which were described in a study published Wednesday (May 14) in the journal Science Advances, have more than just gee-whiz appeal.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 15 May 2025
Are the gee-whiz tech innovations still relevant like the electric light bulb or the elevator were?
—Matt Shaw, Forbes.com, 4 May 2025
California once was the state where a visionary might start up a gee-whiz concept in a garage.
—Steven Greenhut, Orange County Register, 16 Mar. 2025
Missoula, Montana, where he was born, bequeathed him a folksy Eagle Scout congeniality, all nasal delivery and gee-whiz enthusiasm.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2025
My key question at the meal: when quantum computing would stop being a gee-whiz technology that doesn’t actually do any real work, and start revolutionizing everything as the hype machine has taught us to expect.
—John Koetsier, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024
While invisibility cloaks are a gee-whiz application, metamaterials now offer real-world commercial applications such as new antenna technologies for mobile phones.
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 Dec. 2018
Eric Todisco, Peoplemag, 24 Mar. 2023
Adjective
While the terrace is the most obvious gee-whiz feature, the 100-footer has multiple standout elements, starting with the salon.
—Kevin Koenig, Robb Report, 21 Nov. 2025
The Institute never achieves either emotional potency or any sense of gee-whiz spectacle.
—Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 8 July 2025
Perseverance's aurora observations, which were described in a study published Wednesday (May 14) in the journal Science Advances, have more than just gee-whiz appeal.
—Mike Wall, Space.com, 15 May 2025
Are the gee-whiz tech innovations still relevant like the electric light bulb or the elevator were?
—Matt Shaw, Forbes.com, 4 May 2025
California once was the state where a visionary might start up a gee-whiz concept in a garage.
—Steven Greenhut, Orange County Register, 16 Mar. 2025
Missoula, Montana, where he was born, bequeathed him a folksy Eagle Scout congeniality, all nasal delivery and gee-whiz enthusiasm.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 4 Feb. 2025
My key question at the meal: when quantum computing would stop being a gee-whiz technology that doesn’t actually do any real work, and start revolutionizing everything as the hype machine has taught us to expect.
—John Koetsier, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024
While invisibility cloaks are a gee-whiz application, metamaterials now offer real-world commercial applications such as new antenna technologies for mobile phones.
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 Dec. 2018
Interjection
Wow, gee whiz, golly wolly!
—Eric Todisco, Peoplemag, 24 Mar. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for gee-whiz
Adjective
-
The risk is in presuming that anything subversive or sensational is also true and meaningful, and that anything conventional is a lie that must be smashed down.—
Laura K. Field,
The Atlantic,
5 Feb. 2026
-
And then, Beyoncé, who has a stranglehold on excellence and can woo 100,000 with a look, shattered that bit of black-and-white history with a purple light, flames shooting up from the stage, and a sensational and sensual performance.—
Matthew Odam,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The role of colder, drier air Seasonal changes in the atmosphere can also affect how colorful sunrises and sunsets appear.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Guests crunch through colorful seasonal salads, sip from an expansive wine list and dig into chef Alan Sternberg's inventive pasta dishes at snugly cloistered tables in wood and brick alcoves lined with paintings, books and even a handful of typewriters.—
USA TODAY NETWORK,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
There was more screaming and yelling for people who wanted to get a ventilator available in their home.—
Chris Lee,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2021
Interjection
-
There’s a lot to love about Chipotle—well a lot less than there used to be, but still a lot to love.—
Sam Stone,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Now making a rice casserole in a skillet, well, that's a different story.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
13 Feb. 2026
Interjection
-
But hey, this was the '90s, when being weird for weird's sake was a thing, and a creepy animatronic penguin lurking in the shadows and terrorizing humans in a variety of '90s-ish noir settings is definitely that.—
Debby Wolfinsohn,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Feb. 2026
-
This might feel limiting for guests used to a sprawl of spaces and activities, but hey, there’s always the entirety of New York to wander through.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Jan. 2026
Interjection
-
Oh gee, is that supposed to be me in the video with the goatee?—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
3 Oct. 2025
-
As the spigot closed, inflation spiked (gee, maybe there’s a connection?) and the economy slowed, the state budget went from a whopping surplus to stubborn deficits.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
6 Aug. 2025
Interjection
-
And lo, there are truck chases and car chases and club shoot-outs and multiple people falling off buildings and an epic train derailment and approximately 197 shots of Mark Wahlberg using some poor bastard’s body as a shield as it’s plugged full of bullet holes.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Remember lo those many weeks ago when the ground wasn't covered in snow?—
Amber Hunt,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
Interjection
-
But no, none of the preplanetary nebulae that are known, including the spectacular Egg Nebula, are representative of what the Sun’s final stages will look like.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
11 Feb. 2026
-
But no, there can only be one On Fire podcaster.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Gee-whiz.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gee-whiz. Accessed 16 Feb. 2026.
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