English Reference
Adjective

marvelous

adj.
B1 Intermediate US /ˈmɑɹvəɫəs/ mar·velous UK spelling marvellous

adj.very good, impressive, or wonderful. You use it to show strong approval or admiration for something.

adj.extremely good, impressive, or pleasing; worthy of admiration. Often used for emphasis in positive descriptions.


SIMPLE

The view from the top was marvelous.

CONTEXTUAL

We had a marvelous time at the beach last weekend.

COMPLEX

The restoration of the ancient cathedral was a marvelous achievement, preserving centuries of history for future generations.


First attested from 1300 as Middle English merveilous, from Old French merveillus, from merveille (“a wonder”), equivalent to marvel + -ous.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Old French merveillus
Level B1 · Intermediate
Frequency Frequent
Updated