marvelous

adjective

mar·​vel·​ous ˈmärv-(ə-)ləs 

variants or chiefly British marvellous

1

: causing wonder : astonishing

the marvelous directional sense of migrating birds

2

: miraculous, supernatural

Gothic tales of marvelous and bizarre happenings

3

: of the highest kind or quality : notably superior

has a marvelous way with children

marvelously adverb

or chiefly British marvellously

marvelously inventive

sang marvelously

marvelousness noun

or chiefly British marvellousness

Synonyms

• amazing
• astonishing
• astounding
• awesome
• awful
• eye-opening
• fabulous
• miraculous
• portentous
• prodigious
• staggering
• stunning
• stupendous
• sublime
• surprising
• wonderful
• wondrous

Examples of marvelous in a Sentence

We had a marvelous time at the party.

He has a marvelous way with children.

The weather was simply marvelous.

Recent Examples on the Web

But find the city and you’ll be rewarded with a series of marvelous 4th-century mosaics in the site’s Roman Maritime Villa. —John Oseid, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2024

Each day is a marvelous opportunity to grow wiser by retrieving and reading all the great books and absorbing all the genius of the ages on the internet — a tuition-free Ivy League education. —Armstrong Williams, Baltimore Sun, 24 Nov. 2024

While these three exhibitions include many marvelous objects, only one is satisfying; the other two left me cold. —Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2024

The other silo is a marvelous piece of set design — visually familiar via Juliette’s silo, yet in ruins. —Noel Murray, Vulture, 15 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English merveillous, borrowed from Anglo-French, from merveille marvel entry 1 + -ous -ous

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

marvelous

adjective

mar·​vel·​ous

variants or marvellous

ˈmärv-(ə-)ləs 

1

: causing wonder or astonishment

2

: having the characteristics of a miracle

3

: of the highest kind or quality : splendid

we had a marvelous time

marvelously adverb

marvelousness noun