wondrous
gb/wˈʌndɹəs/ us/wˈʌndɹəs/
B2
English
~ 25800
Senses
0 senses
adjective
literary
B2
property
1
Causing great wonder or delight
Very beautiful, special, or surprising and making you feel great wonder or happiness.
Usage pattern:
a wondrous [noun]
Common mistake:
Learners often use "wondrous" in everyday speech where native speakers would prefer "wonderful" or "amazing". "Wondrous" sounds poetic or literary and is more common in stories, songs, or formal writing. Also, learners sometimes use it with clearly negative nouns (e.g., *a wondrous problem*), which sounds strange because "wondrous" almost always describes positive or at least awe-inspiring things.
Synonyms
wonderful (More common and neutral; lacks the clearly poetic tone of "wondrous".)
|
marvelous (Very close in meaning, but slightly more old-fashioned or enthusiastic than everyday "wonderful".)
|
awe-inspiring (Focuses more on the feeling of awe and power, often for very grand or impressive things.)
Antonyms
ordinary (Suggests something normal and not special, without any sense of wonder.)
|
ugly (Opposes the idea of special beauty or delight that "wondrous" suggests.)
Collocations
wondrous sight
|wondrous beauty
|wondrous thing
|wondrous world
|wondrous place
|wondrous story
Themes
emotions
|art
|nature
|core_vocabulary
|arts_entertainment
Examples
- From the top of the mountain they looked out over a wondrous landscape of lakes and forests.
- The museum is filled with wondrous objects from ancient civilizations.
- It was a wondrous feeling to hold her newborn son for the first time.
- At night the desert sky becomes a wondrous sea of stars.
- The children listened with wide eyes to her wondrous tales of faraway lands.
Learner examples
- We saw a wondrous light in the dark sky.
- The film shows a wondrous world under the sea.
- It was a wondrous moment for the whole family.
- They found a wondrous garden behind the old house.
adverb
literary
C1
property
2
To a very great degree
Very; extremely (used before another describing word), mainly in old or literary English.
Usage pattern:
wondrous [adjective]
Common mistake:
Learners may try to use adverbial "wondrous" in modern speech (e.g., *The food was wondrous good*), which sounds very old-fashioned or incorrect today. In current English, use "very" or "extremely" instead. Also, learners sometimes confuse this adverbial use with the adjective and write *a wondrously place* instead of *a wondrous place* or *a wondrously beautiful place*.
Synonyms
extremely (Modern, neutral adverb; used in the same position but far more common in everyday English.)
|
remarkably (Emphasizes that something is surprising; less poetic than "wondrous".)
Antonyms
slightly (Indicates a small degree, the opposite of the strong emphasis of "wondrous".)
Collocations
wondrous fair
|wondrous strange
|wondrous cold
Themes
literature
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The air grew wondrous still as the music faded.
- She moved with a grace so rare and wondrous light.
- His face was wondrous pale in the moonlight.
Learner examples
- In the old poem, the knight is called "wondrous brave."
- The story says the city was "wondrous rich" in those days.
- This old song uses the words "wondrous fair" to describe the land.
Grammar
Dictionary form
wondrous
IPA
GB/wˈʌndɹəs/
US/wˈʌndɹəs/
Syllables & stress
won - drous (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (won)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: wondrous
Word family
Core family
Related words
wondrously
adverb
wonderment
noun
Expressions
wondrous to behold
1/wˈʌndɹəs tə bɪhˈoʊld/
fixed phrase
literary
Very beautiful or impressive to see
Very beautiful or impressive when you look at it.
Examples
- The city lights at night were truly wondrous to behold.
- Clothed in gold and jewels, the temple was wondrous to behold.
- From the hilltop, the sunrise over the sea was wondrous to behold.