17 Synonyms for Amazing and Awesome with meanings and examples

If you have friends that are interested in finding awesome things, chances are that you often come across and see things that are awesome and amazing as well! These are things that may help you feel awe, or a feeling of inspiration, admiration, reverence, or fear.

The problem is, if you try to describe how awesome each of these things that you see are, you will end up using the word awesome or amazing too many times.

Instead, you can use synonyms, or words that mean something very similar! The following is a list of common words that mean amazing or awesome.

Amazing meaning: inspiring awe, or a feeling of greatness

Depending on the context in which you use amazing, it has several different meanings. The most common use of awesome is to mean something that inspires awe and a feeling of wonder.

Below are many words can be used interchangeably, and all of them mean something close to creating a feeling of greatness. If you want to describe something very good, try to use these words.

Fantastic: extraordinarily good

Examples

• The Broadway show that we saw last night was fantastic!
• Amanda, you did a fantastic job on this report!
• The food from the restaurant in Queens was absolutely fantastic!

Great: of a considerable amount above the average

Examples

• The team played a great game, but they still lost in the end.
• In order to be a great leader, you have to understand the goals that you are trying to achieve and the strengths of your team members.
• With great power comes great responsibility.

Astonishing: surprising to the point of being impressive

Examples

• The number of hot dogs that the hot dog eating contest champion ate was astonishing!
• It is absolutely astonishing how many people think that climate change is not a manmade phenomenon.
• Mary Jane grew her business astonishingly quickly!

Awe-inspiring: so great to the point of inspiring awe

Examples

• The way that the athlete was so determined to finish the race even after she fell was so awe-inspiring!
• One of the things that people like most about traveling is that the landscape and city views are always so awe-inspiring, especially in nature!
• Some people do things just so other people will think they are awe-inspiring.

Breathtaking: takes someone’s breath away; extremely impressive and great

Examples

• The cultural dance was absolutely breathtaking – I want to watch another show.
• The breathtaking views of the Swiss Alps was enough to inspire Todd to move to Switzerland for a couple months.
• When you look at a breathtaking landscape, it helps you feel small in the world and keep you humble.

Impressive: causing a feeling of admiration

Examples

• If you think the tricks of this street magician were impressive, wait until you see the Penn and Teller show in Las Vegas!
• It was so impressive that Hannah got perfect scores on all of her tests in science last year!
• The impressive geysers and mountains in Yellowstone National Park in the United States draw millions of visitors each year.

Magnificent: very impressive and excellent, absolutely good

Examples

• Harry would make a magnificent CEO for this company because he has incredible dedication to technology and advancement, and knows how to handle many different projects at once.
• Terry had a magnificent summer vacation because he took his family with him to a safari in Tanzania, and his two sons were able to touch a giraffe!
• The way that Missy played the piano piece at her recital was absolutely magnificent.

Wonderful: inspiring a feeling full of wonder, admiration

Examples

• Your essay is wonderful, dear, just don’t forget to correct your grammar mistakes.
• “I had a wonderful time on our date tonight,” Kelly said at the end of the night.
• Dr. Wu is an absolutely wonderful mentor – if you want to learn dermatology, you have to seek his mentorship!

Stunning: causing someone to pause (literally or figuratively) because something is so amazing

Examples

• The white sand beaches in Cambodia were so stunning that we decided to stay in the city for an extra three days.
• My wife looked absolutely stunning in her wedding dress.
• The tricks of the acrobat were so stunning that Zach wanted to watch another show.

Mind-blowing: something that blows the mind, metaphorically, or causing so much wonder as to almost be overwhelming.

Examples

• The principles of psychology that are used in marketing were so mind-blowing when I first learned about them, but I assume that they influence every advertisement I see now.
• When the TV channel first heard the news, they thought it was going to be a mind-blowing scandal.
• When I think about the sheer number of people in the world, it is mind-blowing.

Majestic: having impressive elegance, beauty, and greatness

Examples

• The Himalaya mountains are majestic, which is why so many people want to climb them even though they are so tough to climb.
• The way that the actress moves is so majestic.
• The majestic horse galloped across the field to rest for the night.

Amazing meaning: inspiring fear, or tinges of fear mixed with admiration

This category of words means something slightly different from those other words above. This set of words has a more negative meaning, more associated with fear, feeling lesser than that thing, and unhappiness.

However, most of these words can mean something that causes fear, but many times they also describe something that is so magnificent, so great, that the first reaction of some people is to fear it.

These words vary more in definition, so make sure you use the correct word depending on how you feel!

Dreadful: causing a feeling of sadness, fear, and disapproval

Examples

• The dreadful profits of the company for this month mean that someone will probably be laid off.
• The goalie’s performance in the championship game was dreadful, so the opposite team kept scoring goals and eventually won the game.
• I will never stay in that hotel again, because my experience was absolutely dreadful!

Formidable: causing a feeling of fear and begrudging respect (respect that you cannot help but feel) because of the person or thing’s large size, power, skill, etc.

Examples

• Even though Fiora was a formidable opponent and scared me before the match, I was able to beat her and feel very accomplished!
• I did not expect the Great Wall of China to be so large, but it was so formidable when I climbed up to it and looked out into the forest, where I could see the Wall extending farther than I could see!
• Because the product could solve a previously formidable problem, they earned billions of dollars in their first year and became hugely popular.

Frightening: something that causes intense fear in someone else

Examples

• The storm was frightening because the lightning and thunder went on for hours.
• I have never been in a more frightening situation, and hope that I will never have to be again.
• Despite the frightening impression that Max gives, he is actually a very nice guy when you get to know him better.

Intimidating: inspiring fear or awe, especially when trying to make someone do something

Examples

• When you meet Alex in person, she seems like a fantastic person, but when you hear about all her accomplishments, she can be intimidating!
• It is so funny to me that other people think my dad is intimidating at work because he always goofs around at home.
• The intimidating military made the country think twice about attacking first.

Overwhelming: causing a feeling of extreme emotion, often enough to feel that it is too much

Examples

• The joy that I felt upon winning my first gold medal was so overwhelming that I broke down in happy tears when I received it.
• The senator received overwhelming support when he announced a new bill to reform health care in the country.
• If you try to do too many things at once, it can be overwhelming and cause you to be unsuccessful at all of them.

Terrifying: causing great fear; even though terrifying is often use as a descriptor of something bad, it can also describe something that is so incredible that people begin to fear it. The following examples are sentences which use terrifying to mean something that is amazing.

Examples

• The pace of development and progress in China for the past few years has been terrifying for the rest of the world.
• The new startup swooped in at a terrifying speed and drew away all the customers, leaving the other companies in the dust.
• Lucy ran so much faster than all the other children her age that it was terrifying for the parents to think about.

The next time that you see something that amazes you, try to use some of these words! They can help broaden your vocabulary and describe what you are feeling more accurately.

More for you:
English Vocabulary Dictionary