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

The case of the marvelous Mr. Morgan dominated newspaper front pages for weeks and divided the American media. —Jeff Maysh, Smithsonian Magazine, 29 Apr. 2024

Bailey has been marvelous at the plate, hitting .300 on the season with two homers and a .483 slugging percentage. —Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 25 Apr. 2024

What a marvelous moment for Atlanta and the state of Georgia. —USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024

Etiwanda’s girls’ team repeated as Open Division state champions after another marvelous coaching performance from Stan Delus, knocking off unbeaten Mitty. —Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024

But for female artists throughout history, the marvelous Getty exhibition handily demonstrates that there’s much more to it than only surviving trauma. —Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2024

Even Nancy’s recurrent chats with astrologer Joan (Regina Aquino) ultimately feel baggy, despite Hawley’s marvelous comic timing and Aquino’s zesty New Age flouncing, respectively. —Celia Wren, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024

Second, what needs fixing, is the faulty manufacturing system at the giant Renton and Everett plants in Washington, and at the North Charleston, S.C., facility, that make these marvelous flying machines. —Shawn Tully, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024

And Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks were both marvelous in their season debuts. —Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 1 Apr. 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