maravilhoso
/ma.ɾa.viˈʎo.zu/
The English word "wonderful" is translated into Portuguese as maravilhoso.
maravilhoso is an adjective used to describe something that is excellent or extremely impressive.
Meaning: excellent, extremely impressive (adj)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Brazilian Portuguese, the colloquial term bacana is used to mean something is nice or enjoyable, while the slang term maneiro or maneira is used in urban contexts to mean cool, great or awesome.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective must agree in gender and number with the noun it describes. Use the feminine form maravilhosa for feminine nouns. For plural nouns, use maravilhosos for masculine or mixed-gender groups and maravilhosas for feminine groups.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 5 syllables, with the stress on the 4th syllable. The IPA is /ma.ɾa.viˈʎo.zu/.
When do people say it?
In both Brazil and Portugal, the word sensacional can be used to convey that something is sensational or fantastic.
Did you know?
- While maravilhoso is a standard term, an English speaker might be surprised to hear Brazilians use legal to mean 'wonderful' or 'cool' in everyday conversation.
- In Brazil, the word maravilha is frequently used as a shorthand response to mean 'great' or 'perfect' when agreeing to a plan, effectively replacing the adjective maravilhoso.
- The word maravilhoso contains the letter lh, a digraph that creates a liquid sound not found in English, making the word a great exercise for practicing the Portuguese 'palatal l'.
Examples in context
- É maravilhoso estar aqui.It's wonderful to be here.This sentence is useful for expressing the feeling of being in a place using maravilhoso.Tatoeba #2363535 by alexmarcelo, translation #61831 by CK
- Este livro é maravilhoso.This is a wonderful book.This sentence shows how to describe a book using maravilhoso.Tatoeba #4793038 by bill, translation #4666428 by CK
- Este lugar é maravilhoso.This place is wonderful.This sentence demonstrates describing a place using maravilhoso.Tatoeba #8869583 by carlosalberto, translation #8869564 by carlosalberto
- O seu trabalho é maravilhosoYour work is wonderful
- A sua apresentação foi esplêndidaYour presentation was splendid
- A festa foi fantásticaThe party was fantastic
- O concerto foi extraordinárioThe concert was extraordinary
- A festa foi showThe party was amazing
- A viagem foi maneiraThe trip was cool
- O restaurante é topThe restaurant is excellent
- O jogo foi sensacionalThe game was sensational
- O livro é ótimoThe book is great
- 69 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Rodrigo and Mariana are at a music festival.
- RodrigoEste show é maravilhoso, não acha?This show is wonderful, don't you think?
- MarianaSim, o Rodrigo escolheu bem.Yes, Rodrigo chose well.
- RodrigoFico feliz que você gostou.I am happy that you liked it.
- MarianaA música é realmente incrível.The music is truly incredible.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “wonderful” translations and entries maravilhoso, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
