ENGLISH
REFERENCE

smashing

n.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈsmæʃɪŋ// UK //smˈæʃɪŋ// smash·ing Archaic Informal Slang Vulgar

n. excellent, wonderful, or very impressive. You use this when you are very happy with something or someone.

n. exceptionally good, impressive, or wonderful. Primarily used in British English; informal in register.


SIMPLE

We had a smashing time at the party.

CONTEXTUAL

The team did a smashing job on the presentation and received a standing ovation from the board.

COMPLEX

The critic described the performance as a smashing success, noting that the lead actor's range was unlike anything seen on the local stage in decades.

Synonyms
Origin

From smash + -ing. As a synonym for wonderful, the term first appeared in the United States in the early twentieth century, and possibly derives from the sense of smash used in smash hit and similar terms. Popular folk etymology connects the term to the broadly homophonous Irish is maith sin or Scottish Gaelic 's math sin ("that is good"), but this has been described as "improbable", and does not appear in the etymological dictionaries.

Usage

Typically used as a predicative adjective after a linking verb or as an attributive adjective before a noun.

Idioms1 entry

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