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Get Word of the Day daily email! To save this word, you’ll need to log in. One common complaint regarding the adjectival use of amazing is the extent to which the word is used in what some feel is a watered-down fashion. Those who take this position argue that unless someone is literally being amazed, the word is ill-chosen. While this defense of semantic integrity is understandable, we must point out that the broadened meaning of amazing is hardly an isolated case.
In fact, a number of words that are semantically similar to amazing have also come unmoored from their original meanings. He showed an amazing lack of concern for others. The amazing thing is that no one knows where it came from. He has an amazing ability to learn new languages. Her grandmother was really an amazing woman. The fact that something so enormous in our sky has escaped detection until now is amazing, if not entirely surprising to astronomers.
Phil Plait, Scientific American, 12 Jan. That kind of palpable physical connection to ancestors who may have died hundreds of years ago is amazing. Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Jan. And people can argue about Babylon, but not about its score, which is amazing. Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Jan.
The volume of phenomenal talent on display in some places is amazing, but many of them remain relatively unknown. Kendrick just came off tour — Big Steppers was amazing. Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 7 Jan. Still, seeing such successful research surrounding CRISPR ancestors is amazing, and something that folks in the gene-editing field can look forward to digging into more as new research comes out about it. Everything Pillow Talk from Charlotte Tilbury is amazing, and their new Beauty Light Wand that launched this year is no exception. Tiffany Dodson, Harper’s BAZAAR, 30 Dec. These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word ‘amazing.