impressive
impressive — adjective
1. When a thing, place, or result is impressive, it catches your attention and make
When a thing, place, or result is impressive, it catches your attention and makes you feel admiration, usually because of its size, the skill needed to create it, or the effort behind it.
Feng's city built an impressive new stadium that holds over sixty thousand people.
impressive + noun describing a physical structure
Ayesha showed us an impressive collection of ancient coins her grandfather gathered over fifty years.
impressive + collection — object built over time
The mountain view was so impressive that Constanza sat down just to stare at it.
Christopher's painting was the most impressive piece at the student art show.
Hassan gave an impressive speech at the wedding that made many guests cry.
- striking
focuses on how something stands out visually or noticeably, often more sudden than impressive
- remarkable
emphasises unusualness or surprise rather than size or skill
- majestic
suggests grand beauty, especially of landscapes or buildings; more formal and poetic
- awe-inspiring
stronger than impressive — suggests feelings of wonder mixed with respect; less common in everyday speech
- unimpressive
the direct negative; not causing admiration
- mediocre
suggests average or poor quality rather than merely not striking
文法句型
impressive + noun
be + impressive
truly/highly/very + impressive
more/most + impressive
用法筆記
Gradable: you can say very impressive, more impressive, or the most impressive. Common intensifiers are truly, highly, deeply, and particularly.
常見錯誤
2. When a person is impressive, they have such a high level of skill, knowledge, or
When a person is impressive, they have such a high level of skill, knowledge, or talent that you feel respect or admiration for them.
Roya is an impressive young lawyer who has won five difficult cases this year.
impressive describing a professional role
What makes Léa impressive is her ability to stay calm during stressful situations.
What makes + person + impressive — asking about the reason
The audience found the young pianist impressive when she played a complex piece from memory.
Amihan's knowledge of local plants was impressive to the visiting scientists from the university.
Beatrix is impressive because she learned to speak four languages before turning eighteen.
- admirable
focuses on moral approval and worth — you admire the person's character, not just their skill
- outstanding
suggests the person is among the best; stronger than impressive
- talented
narrower — refers specifically to natural ability rather than overall impression
- unimpressive
the direct antonym; not causing admiration for skills
- ordinary
suggests no special skill that would attract notice
文法句型
find + someone + impressive
what makes + someone + impressive
someone + be + impressive
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 applies to objects, places, and achievements; sense 2 applies to people and their abilities. A common structure is find + person + impressive (I find her impressive).