A wonderful synonym needs to keep the warmth of the original: marvelous, delightful, lovely, amazing and superb all praise, but each glows in a different way. Lovely is gentle, amazing is loud, and superb sounds like an expert's verdict.
Few adjectives get leaned on as hard in cards and customer feedback. Each another word for wonderful below is grouped by its target, from a meal to a view to a person, with notes on tone and a few honest warnings.
Swatch at a glance
Best swaps
marvelous, delightful, lovely, amazing, superbPart of speech
AdjectiveMost formal
exceptional, magnificent, superbMost casual
awesome, fab, out of this worldStrongest
breathtaking, phenomenal, extraordinaryAntonyms
terrible, awful, dreadfulWatch out
Wondrous is older and literary. It suits a fairy tale, not a work email.Related forms
wonderfully, wonder, wonderment
Wonderful synonym lists for what you praise
| Praising | Try | Sample |
|---|---|---|
| An experience or event | delightful, marvelous, fantastic | We had a delightful evening. |
| Something that amazes | amazing, extraordinary, remarkable | Her recovery was remarkable. |
| A sight or place | magnificent, spectacular, breathtaking | The canyon view was breathtaking. |
| A person | kind, lovely, special | Your aunt is such a kind host. |
| Quality of work | excellent, superb, outstanding | The bakery makes superb rye bread. |
From a warm glow to jaw-dropping
The chip strip rises in intensity. Lovely is soft and friendly. Delightful adds charm. Marvelous sounds a little theatrical and can feel old-fashioned. Magnificent brings size and grandeur. Breathtaking is for moments that literally make you pause, like a mountain at dawn.
Overusing the top of the strip weakens it. If the cafe was breathtaking, what is left for the sunset?
Swaps in notes, reviews and talk
- Thank you for a wonderful dinner becomes thank you for a delightful dinner.
- It was a wonderful trip becomes it was a fantastic trip.
- She is a wonderful teacher becomes she is an outstanding teacher.
- What a wonderful view becomes what a magnificent view.
- The cake was wonderful becomes the cake was superb.
A thank-you card reads: "The wedding was wonderful and the food was wonderful too." One small edit: "The wedding was magical, and the food was superb." Each word now praises a different thing in a different way.
Picking for tone and setting
Formal letters: excellent, exceptional and magnificent sound polished without fuss.
Reviews: superb, outstanding and remarkable signal judgment, not just mood.
Essays: remarkable and extraordinary work well, but explain why. A bare compliment proves nothing.
Chat: amazing, awesome and fab feel natural with friends. Smashing and ace are mainly British.
Careful with these
Incredible and unbelievable literally mean hard to believe, so in a news story they can hint at doubt. Fantastic once meant imaginary, which still shows in fantastic creatures. Wondrous and splendid can sound old-fashioned or even sarcastic if the tone is off: oh, splendid, the train is late. More describing words live in the adjectives hub.
Antonyms of wonderful
The opposite runs from mild to harsh. Disappointing and dull are polite. Unpleasant is neutral. Awful, dreadful and terrible are strong, and horrible adds disgust.
- The concert was a bit disappointing.
- We had a dreadful time at the airport.
Wonderfully and other forms
For the adverb wonderfully, try beautifully, superbly, delightfully or marvelously: the room was beautifully lit. For the noun wonder in the sense of awe, use amazement, awe or astonishment: the children stared in amazement. Wonderment is a softer, slightly literary version that suits stories and poems more than emails.
Frequently asked questions
For a thank-you card, which word beats wonderful?
Delightful, lovely and thoughtful are warm and natural. Name what you liked as well: a delightful evening with the best soup I have had all year.
Which words are stronger than wonderful?
Breathtaking, phenomenal and extraordinary are stronger. Hold them back for the rare moment that stops you cold.
Is marvelous old-fashioned?
A little. It still sounds fine in speech, often with a playful tone, but delightful or fantastic feel more current in writing.
After a bad night out, what antonym of wonderful fits?
Terrible, awful and dreadful are the usual opposites. Disappointing is a gentler choice when you want to stay polite.
How do I praise a person besides calling them wonderful?
Kind, generous, thoughtful and admirable describe the reason you admire them. A specific word usually means more than a general one.