wonderful

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Middle English wonderful, wondirful, from Old English wundorful (“wonderful”), from Proto-West Germanic *wundrafull, equivalent to wonder +‎ -ful. Cognate Dutch wondervol (“wonderful”), German wundervoll (“wonderful”). Compare Old English wuldorfull (“glorious”).

Pronunciation

  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈwʌn.də.fl̩/
  • (General American) IPA(key): /ˈwʌn.dɚ.fl̩/
  • Audio (US):(file)

Adjective

wonderful (comparative wonderfuller or wonderfuler or more wonderful, superlative wonderfullest or wonderfulest or most wonderful)

  1. Tending to excite wonder; surprising, extraordinary.
    His delusion was not wonderful, but most natural.
    It is not wonderful that Mrs Smith declined to visit the beer garden, in view of her militant temperance. [=It is no wonder that she declined.]
    • 1863, Sheridan Le Fanu, The House by the Churchyard:
      'Ha!' cried Dangerfield, with a sort of gasp, and a violent smirk, the joyousness of which was, however, counteracted by a lurid scowl and a wonderful livid glare in his wild eyes; […]
    • 1892, Charles Stewart, edited by John Campbell Shairp, A Treatise on the Law of Scotland Relating to Rights of Fishing: Comprising the Law Affecting Sea Fishing, Salmon Fishing, Trout Fishing, Oyster and Mussel Fishing, Etc. With an Appendix of Statutes and Bye-laws‎[1], 2nd edition, T. & T. Clark, pages 343-344:
      The difference in the circumstances of the kingdom at the two dates might fairly account for the change of policy in regard to the Solway. In 1563 the two countries were held by distinct and hostile governments, and it was not wonderful that the debateable ground of the Solway should be exempted from restrictions which could not be enforced over its whole surface, and which, if enforced on the Scotch side only, would be certainly broken through by the English marauders. In 1685, however, both kingdoms were ruled over by one sovereign; a more amicable policy had, since the accession of James I., been adopted in legislation; and it might therefore be supposed that the exception in favour of the Solway had lapsed by implication, and that the fisheries of all parts of the kingdom were thenceforward to be governed by uniform statutory regulations.
    • 1992, Hilary Mantel, A Place of Greater Safety, Harper Perennial, published 2007, page 278:
      He is massively corrupt. It is wonderful how the man's popularity survives.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Margaret Oliphant to this entry?)
  2. Surprisingly excellent; very good or admirable, extremely impressive.
    They served a wonderful six-course meal.
    What appears to be wonderful may turn out to be anything but.
    • 2012 April 29, Nathan Rabin, “TV: Review: THE SIMPSONS (CLASSIC): “Treehouse of Horror III” (season 4, episode 5; originally aired 10/29/1992)”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name)‎[2]:
      Though they obviously realized that these episodes were part of something wonderful and important and lasting, the writers and producers couldn’t have imagined that 20 years later “Treehouse Of Horror” wouldn’t just survive; it’d thrive as one of the most talked-about and watched episodes of every season of The Simpsons.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

Translations

Adverb

wonderful (not comparable)

  1. (dialect) Exceedingly, to a great extent.
    Synonyms: wonderfully, wondrously
    • 1808, Richard Johnson, The famous Historie of the Seaven Champions of Christendome, page 267:
      […] wherein they were no sooner entered, but they saw that it was wonderful dark, and it seemed unto them that it should be a very large hall, and there they heard very fearful howlings, as though there had been a legion of hell-hounds […]
    • 1926, Eric Rücker Eddison, Styrbiorn the Strong, page 196:
      It was wonderful stormy weather that night, and it so befell that there was sailing by the Jutland coast a little north of the east mouth of the Limfirth a man of Iceland bound south […]

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