41 Words That Are Better Than Good

41 Words That Are Better Than Good 41 Words That Are Better Than Good 41 Words That Are Better Than Good By Michael The soul of writing is specificity, yet all too often, we lean on general-purpose words instead of choosing the most precise ones. Most of our daily communication probably depends on less than 1,000 words. Of course, that includes words such as you, I, is, are, of, and for, which are already the best words for the job. I admit that sometimes in conversation, I deliberately limit my vocabulary because I dont want others to look at me quizzically: Who does he think he is, anyway: one of the authors of a writing tips blog? The result is vague, even boring, conversation, using words so general, they could fit almost everything in the world. How was your trip? Fine. How do you feel? Good. Choosing other words is no improvement, if we always choose the same words. A world where everything is cool or awesome is not much more interesting than a world where everything is fine or good. So lets buck the trend. Here are 41 alternatives to good that cant be used to describe everything in the world because they each have specific meanings, or at least, different connotations. breathtaking amazing, surprising, astonishing, enough to make you gasp with pleasure, and almost enough to make you forget to breathe. choice preferred, prized, specially selected. In New Zealand, the exclamation Choice! is used similarly to Great! in the United States. dazzling amazing, splendid, brilliant, shining so bright that its hard to see it. delectable highly delicious, usually describing food, from the Latin for delight. delightful causing joy, delight or pleasure, producing positive emotion, with the same Latin root as delectable. deluxe high quality, related to luxury, from the Latin for excess. enjoyable pleasant, bringing pleasure and satisfaction bringing joy. excellent superior, best in its class, of the highest quality, making a person shout Excelsior! exceptional uncommon, rare, and better for being so. exemplary an example of high quality, a model for others. fine delicate, exquisite, almost as good as it gets. Related to the French and Latin words for finished and exact. Overused until often it merely means acceptable. exquisite exceptionally fine or rare, with the sense of extreme favorable helpful, encouraging, positive, convenient, such as getting hoped-for results. first-rate exceptionally good, in the highest class. Describing a British naval vessel with more than 100 guns. first-string the starting players on a sports team; that is, the best of them. Many other expressions begin with the word first. five-star from the hotel rating system in which a five-star hotel is among the worlds best. formidable causing awe, respect, wonder or even fear, perhaps because its so large or strong. gilt-edged high quality, from the practice of putting a thin layer of gold on the edges of a book. gratifying pleasing, satisfying, making someone content. incredible amazing, beyond belief, almost too good to be true. luxurious fine or comfortable, such as an expensive hotel room. I use it to show gratitude for a gift that is too fancy for my tastes. magnificent splendid, elegant, noble. From the Latin word for great deeds. opulent showy, extravagant, magnificent, sumptuous more than luxurious, with the sense of more than you really need pleasing giving cheer, pleasure, or enjoyment something that pleases you positive certain, good, favorable. Currently used in expressions such as positive energy or positive vibes. precious beloved, valuable, worthy, of high price. Precious writing is euphuistic: overly cute and takes itself too seriously. prime first, as in first quality. rare uncommon, scarce, and therefore valuable. The gravestone of an influential English playwright is inscribed with the (misspelled) tribute O rare Ben Johnson. satisfying sufficient, pleasing, more than adequate. select privileged, specially chosen, high-quality. shipshape well-organized, fully prepared, meticulous, tidy. Before you embark on an ocean voyage, you want your ship to be in shape. sound healthy, solid, secure, complete. If a floor is sound, you wont fall through. sterling of high, verifiable value, as in sterling silver, which is 92.5% pure silver. Originally referring to British coins, which had a star or a starling on them in the Middle Ages. striking impressive, memorable, calling to mind the striking of a coin. sumptuous costly, expensive, as in a meal with many courses of great variety. Weve got a whole article about sumptuous. top-notch belonging to the highest level, possibly from some 19th century game that used notches to keep score. subtle clever and crafty, though thats an older meaning. A subtle flavor is not overbearing, and the chef will be pleased if you tell him so. up to snuff meeting the standard, adequate, sharp. Snuff is a more expensive powdered tobacco, which was sniffed by higher-class gentlemen as a stimulant in the 19th century. valuable worthy of esteem, having high worth or value. welcome anticipated, a pleasure to see, received with gladness, as in welcome news. From the Old English for â€Å"a wished-for guest. well-made built right, properly constructed, sound. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Types of RhymeOne Sheep, Two Sheep, One Fish, Two Fish . . .48 Writing Prompts for Middle School Kids