# wondrous

/ˈwəndɹəs/ (US) · /wˈʌndɹəs/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/wondrous
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. inspiring awe

adjective · CEFR C1 · Literary

extremely beautiful or impressive in a way that makes you feel amazed.

For teachers: inspiring a sense of wonder or awe; characterized by qualities that evoke admiration or amazement.

- The night sky was filled with a wondrous display of stars.
- The explorer described a wondrous landscape of crystal caves and underground rivers that seemed to defy the laws of nature.

### 2. remarkably

adverb · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Literary

to a very great or surprising degree.

For teachers: to a remarkable or wonderful degree; used as an intensifier.

- The garden was wondrous cold that morning, with frost covering every leaf.
- The old chronicles describe a winter that was wondrous strange, with birds falling frozen from the sky in mid-flight.

Usage: In modern English, this adverbial use is almost entirely replaced by 'wondrously'.

## Examples

- The view from the mountain top was truly wondrous.
- The children stared at the wondrous display of lights during the festival, completely silent in their amazement.
- The explorer's journals are filled with descriptions of wondrous creatures and landscapes that had never before been documented by modern science.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.