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Can amazing mean "good"?
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.
That being said, the use of amazing to indicate that something is slightly better than “pleasant” may provoke skepticism in others, so you are advised to know your audience before using it in this way.
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Examples of amazing in a Sentence
James F. Hales Remembering Rogers, arkansasonline.com, 31 Oct. 2024
The menu is just as good, with stand-out dishes including an amazing prawn pakora and malai kofta.
—Kaitlyn McInnis, Forbes, 30 Oct. 2024
Regardless of the scores, Derek congratulated both couples on their amazing dances.
—Esther Kang, People.com, 30 Oct. 2024
It’s just been so amazing to finally have people start to play it and still resonate with it because, for me, Amy’s story lands harder.
—Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 29 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Amazing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amazing. Accessed 10 Nov. 2024.
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