You’ve Heard or Said Things Like This, Right?

“We had an awesome time at the fair.”

“That’s a great example of onomatopoeia.”

“You’re an awesome runner.”

“Great! I’ll go with you.”

People often say great and awesome in dialogue. The words are also common in children’s or YA fiction. With that in mind, I created the following list. You’ll note a large number of clichés, which are appropriate for the above types of writing if not overused.

However, Before You Get to the List, Consider the Alternatives

Whenever you find yourself abusing hackneyed adjectives, try substituting body language. Scrutinize the following paragraph pairs and decide which of each provides the best effect.

Eve’s new tattoo was great.

Adam’s eyes bulged when Eve flashed her new tattoo. He staggered back a step.

You must set the stage for this type of interaction. Adam’s body language might indicate disapproval.

Adam’s chest was awesome.

Adam’s chest flexed, tiny pearls of perspiration reflecting the dim light. Eve gasped.

Readers should have no doubt about the reason for Eve’s gasp in this example.

“You’re a really awesome girl,” Adam said to Eve.

Adam pulled Eve closer and kissed her in a way that left no doubt about his feelings for her.

Once again, further context isn’t required. With a combination of body language (show) and narrator’s observation (tell), readers have a clear picture of Adam’s feelings.

Eve ate the awesome spaghetti.

Eve devoured the spaghetti and licked the plate clean.

More context would show whether Eve devours the spaghetti because she’s hungry, or because she enjoys the meal.

“Your grandfather is great,” said Adam.

“I can’t believe your grandfather bequeathed so much money to the Red Cross,” said Adam.

For this to work, readers must know that Adam approves of the grandfather’s actions. The second paragraph could be a negative comment if the old man donated to the Red Cross at the expense of his family.

In each example, the second paragraph is longer. If economy of words is crucial, you might have to resort to more tell and less show.

Ways to Say Great or Awesome

A to C
A-1, ace, admirable, amazing, astonishing, astounding, awe-inspiring, bad, beyond the call, boss, breathtaking, brilliant, capital, captivating, cat’s meow, cat’s pajamas, clever, commendable, cool, copacetic

D to F
dandy, dazzling, delightful, diving, engaging, enjoyable, epic, excellent, exceptional, exciting, exemplary, exquisite, extraordinary, fabulous, fantastic, far-out, fine, first-class, first-rate, flawless, fly, four-star

G to I
glorious, gnarly, good, grand, great, groovy, heart-stopping, heavenly, hip, huge, humbling, hunky dory, illustrious, impressive, incomparable, incredible, ingenious, intense, invaluable

K to M
kind, laudable, lovely, magnificent, majestic, marvelous, masterful, mind-blowing, mind-boggling, miraculous, momentous, monumental, moving

N and O
neat, nifty, not too shabby, notable, noteworthy, out of sight, out of this world, outstanding, overwhelming

P to R
peachy, peerless, perfect, phantasmagorical, phenomenal, pleasant, polite, powerful, praiseworthy, premium, priceless, primo, prodigious, rad, radical, refreshing, remarkable, righteous

S
sensational, sick, singular, smashing, solid, special, spectacular, splendid, splendiferous, splendorous, staggering, standout, stellar, sterling, striking, stunning, stupendous, super, superb, super-duper, superior, superlative, supreme, surprising, sweet, swell

T and U
terrific, the bee’s knees, the bomb, thrilling, thumbs-up, tiptop, top-notch, transcendent, tremendous, unbelievable, uncommon, unique, unparalleled, unprecedented, unreal

W to Z
way-out, wicked, wild, wonderful, wondrous, world-class, wow, zero cool