wow synonyms and antonyms | FreeDict Thesaurus

Synonyms

Everyday swaps

Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.

amazing incredible Christ hello hey Jesus Lord my oh please well what

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

unbelievable ay cor gee geez goodness gosh gracious heavens Jupiter oi OMG whoa

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

adzooks caramba mirabile dictu chihuahua begorra bleeding heck bleeding Nora bless my heart bless us bless my soul blige blimey bloody hell bloody Nora blow me blow me backwards blow me down blow me over blow me pink blow me tight blow me up blow my buttons butter my butt and call me a biscuit by Allah by all that is holy by cracky by George by God by golly by gosh by gum by gummy by jingo by Jove by juckies by thunder by Jupiter by the living jingo byrlady Christ alive Christ almighty Christ on a bike Christ on a cracker Christ on a raft Christ on a stick coo cor blimey cor lummy cowabunga crikey criminy cripes crivvens chuffing hell dear God dear me dearie me deary me dear Lord diggety eep egad egads ermahgerd fancy that flaming Nora flipping heck flipping Nora fuark gad so Gadsbodikins gadsbud gadzooks gaw gee whiz gee willikers geeminy geez Louise geshmak get out of town glory be God Almighty God in heaven God's teeth good golly golly golly gee willikers golly gosh good God good gracious good gravy good grief good heavens good Lord goodness gracious goodness gracious me goodness me googly-moogly Gordon Bennett gorblimey gosh all hemlock gramercy great balls of fire great Caesar great Caesar's ghost great Scott great googly moogly gyatt hallo heavens above heavens to Betsy heavens to Murgatroyd hell's bells heyday hold up holy buckets holy cannoli holy cow holy crap holy crap on a cracker holy cricket holy crickets holy crud holy dignity holy doodle holy fudge holy guacamole holy Hannah holy hell holy kamoley holy kamoly holy macaroni holy mackerel holy moley holy magnum holy moly holy man holy Moses Holy Mother Holy Mother of God holy ravioli holy stromboli holy smoke holy Toledo hooly dooly I'll be hot damn I'll be a dirty bird! I'll be a monkey's uncle I'll be a son of a gun I'll be blowed I'll be bound I'll be damned I'll be buggered I'll be danged I'll be darned I'll be dashed I'll be dipped I'll be hanged I'll be hornswoggled I'll be jiggered imagine that I'll be shot I'm blowed I say Janey Mack Jaysus Jeebus jeepers jeepers creepers jeez Louise jeez jeezy peeps jeezy-peezy Jerusalem crickets Jesum Crow Jesus Christ Jesus H. Christ Mary and Joseph Jesus Murphy Jiminy Cricket jings jinkies Judas Priest jumping Jehoshaphat jumping Jesus knock me down with a feather knock me over with a feather land sakes lauks lawks lawks a-mercy lawl leapin' lizards Lord be praised Lord love a duck lordy mama mia mamma mia man alive mercy sakes Mother of God my conscience my giddy aunt my heavens my sainted aunt my sainted uncle my God my goodness my gosh my Lord my my my word no way O gemini ods bodikin odsfish odzookens oh em gee ohmigod oh my oh my days oh my God oh my Goddess oh my goodness gracious oh my goodness oh my gosh oh my hell oh my heck oh my life oh my Lord oh my stars oh my word omigod omigosh peas and rice praise the Lord rah ruddy hell ruddy Nora sacré bleu sakes alive 'sblood 'sdeath shart 'sheart sheesh shiver my timbers shut the front door shut my mouth slap my ass and call me Judy slap my ass and call me Sally snakes alive sodding hell son of a gun stone me stone the crows strike me pink strewth 'struth suffering centipedes suffering Moses suffering Sappho suffering succotash sweet Grandma on stilts sweet Mary sweet Jesus sweet mother of God sweet mother of Jesus waow I never what do you know whoah wowee wowzers ye gods yikes yikes bikes yowzah you don't say zoiks zoinks ZOMG ZOMFG zooterkins zounds zound zowie

Antonyms

screw this

How to use wow

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

wow factor wow the crowd

Etymology

Borrowed from Scots, ultimately just a natural exclamation of surprise dating back centuries.

Full origin of wow →

Frequently asked questions

What does “wow” mean?

The word “wow” means used to express surprise, excitement, or admiration. In plain terms, an exclamation of surprise or admiration; as a verb, to impress someone.

How do you pronounce “wow”?

“Wow” is pronounced wow (/waʊ/ in IPA).

How do you use “wow” in a sentence?

Here is “wow” used in a sentence: “Wow, I didn't expect you to finish so fast!”

What is another word for “wow”?

Words with a similar meaning to “wow” include adzooks, caramba, ay, mirabile dictu, chihuahua and begorra.

What is the opposite of “wow”?

The opposite of “wow” — its antonyms — is screw this.

What part of speech is “wow”?

Depending on how it is used, “wow” can be an intj, a verb and a noun.

Is “wow” a common word?

“Wow” is a very common word in modern English.

How many meanings does “wow” have?

“Wow” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: used to express surprise, excitement, or admiration.

Is wow formal or informal?

Wow is informal. It suits everyday speech, friendly messages, and casual writing where you want to show genuine surprise or admiration. In formal reports, essays, or business letters it is out of place; there you would describe the reaction instead, writing the results were remarkable rather than wow.

When do you use wow?

You use wow as an immediate reaction to something impressive, surprising, or moving — seeing a stunning view, hearing big news, or receiving a gift. It can show delight (Wow, thank you), astonishment, or even dismay in a sarcastic tone. It usually stands alone or opens a sentence.

What can I say instead of wow?

Depending on tone, alternatives include amazing, incredible, whoa, oh my, no way, or unbelievable. A softer surprise might be gosh or goodness, while admiration could be impressive or stunning. The best choice matches how strong your reaction is and how formal the setting happens to be.

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