Wonderful

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "Wonderful" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to express admiration, approval, or delight regarding something. Example: "The concert last night was simply wonderful; the band played all my favorite songs."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Despite its slightly naff name it was heaving with trendy locals, and no wonder as the food turned out to be fantastic: wonderful fried artichokes, seafood pasta and delicious pizza.

The Guardian - Travel

Which is wonderful.

The Guardian - Tech

"He is the outstanding football presenter of his generation, combining great authority from his very distinguished playing career with wonderful broadcasting instincts and sharpness – making him a true star performer".

The Guardian - Sport

It felt wonderful.

The New York Times

Jacobs's family described her as a "wonderful" mother, daughter, sister and wife in a statement to the Washington Post.

The Guardian

Prout arose to help with a problematic area of this wonderful setup: Anything can break.

The Guardian

Gomes scored a wonderful second after eight minutes and Otamendi made it three in the 14th.

The Guardian - Sport

"The last thing that a wonderful city like Sheffield needs is one-party rule," says Clegg. "There are Labour MPs as far as the eye can see in South Yorkshire.

The Guardian

Charlotte looks after guests in the day, Simon at night, where the often-raucous (but non-compulsory) communal dinners provide a wonderful way of making friends and picking up the local gossip.

The Guardian - Travel

We ate fish kebabs with coconut salsa, giant prawns, palm heart souffles, melting sorbets and wonderful cardamom ice cream.

The Guardian - Travel

It is a wonderful performance from Fiennes, though he might still justifiably be hoping for prizes for his own film as director-star, about Charles Dickens: The Invisible Woman.

The Guardian - Film

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Pair the adjective with concrete nouns to make the praise more impactful, such as a "wonderful performance" or a "wonderful opportunity".

Common error

In strictly objective or technical documents, "wonderful" can appear overly subjective or emotional. In these cases, prefer more precise terms like "effective", "optimal" or "efficient" to describe quality without personal bias.

Linguistic Context

As an adjective, "wonderful" functions primarily as an attributive modifier (e.g., "a wonderful story") or a predicative adjective following a linking verb (e.g., "it felt wonderful"). According to Ludwig, it is used to denote that something is surprisingly excellent or impressive.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

90%

Social Media

5%

Formal & Business

5%

Less common in

Science

1%

Academia

1%

Encyclopedias

1%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In conclusion, "wonderful" is a highly effective and universally understood adjective for expressing excellence and admiration. Based on analysis from Ludwig, the phrase is grammatically Correct and used extensively across high-quality media sources like The Guardian and The New York Times. While it carries a strong emotional weight, it remains appropriate for a variety of registers, provided it is used to express genuine approval. For professional writing that requires more precision, writers might consider alternatives like "excellent" or "superb", but "wonderful" remains the gold standard for conveying delight and impressive quality.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

marvelous

Suggests something that causes great wonder or is extremely good

fantastic

Implies something so good it is almost unbelievable or imaginative

superb

Indicates a higher level of refined excellence or quality

terrific

Conveys intense enthusiasm, often used in informal spoken contexts

splendid

Carries a slightly more formal or old-fashioned British undertone of excellence

extraordinary

Focuses on the uniqueness or surprising nature of the excellence

magnificent

Suggests grandeur, scale, or impressive visual beauty

delightful

Focuses on the pleasure or charm provided by the subject

exemplary

Used when the excellence serves as a model or a perfect example

sublime

Refers to excellence that inspires awe or is of high intellectual value

FAQs

How to use "wonderful" in a sentence?

You can use "wonderful" to describe an experience, person, or object that is excellent. For example, you might say, "We had a "wonderful time" at the museum" or "She is a "wonderful person"".

What can I say instead of "wonderful"?

Depending on your context, you could use alternatives like "marvelous", "fantastic", or "excellent".

Is it correct to say "very wonderful"?

While "wonderful" is often considered an absolute adjective (meaning it already implies a high degree), saying "very wonderful" is common in casual English to emphasize extreme delight, though some grammarians prefer "truly wonderful".

What is the difference between "wonderful" and "marvelous"?

Both terms are highly positive, but "marvelous" often implies something that causes a sense of astonishment or wonder, whereas "wonderful" is a broader term for anything extremely good or admirable.