Amazing describes something so impressive, surprising, or wonderful that it fills you with awe and wonder. When you see something amazing, your first reaction might be to gasp, stare wide-eyed, or exclaim “Wow!”

A gymnastics routine with impossibly difficult flips might be amazing. The Grand Canyon is amazing because of its vast size and stunning beauty. A magician's trick can be amazing when you simply cannot figure out how it was done. Your friend might have an amazing memory for song lyrics, remembering every word to hundreds of songs.

Something amazing doesn't just impress you a little. It stops you in your tracks and makes you think about it long afterward.

People sometimes overuse “amazing” to describe ordinary things, like saying “this sandwich is amazing” when they really mean “pretty good.” When everything becomes amazing, nothing truly is. Save the word for things that genuinely astonish you: a musician playing a breathtaking solo, an athlete accomplishing something that seemed impossible, or a scientific discovery that changes how we understand the world. That way, when you call something amazing, people know you really mean it.