marvelously
marvelously — adverb
1. to a very high standard, or in a way that is very pleasing or impressive
to a very high standard, or in a way that is very pleasing or impressive
Dewi sang marvelously at the school concert and earned a long standing ovation.
verb + marvelously for excellent performance
The seaside hotel was marvelously clean, with white sheets and an open window facing the bay.
marvelously + adjective for high quality
Vivek cooks marvelously — his neighbours always hope he will share what he has made.
The new sofa fitted marvelously into the small living room, leaving space for a low table.
This small bakery makes marvelously soft bread that sells out before noon every day.
- wonderfully
very close in meaning; slightly more common in everyday speech
- superbly
more formal; emphasises technical skill or polished quality
- splendidly
slightly old-fashioned; suggests a grand or admirable result
文法句型
verb + marvelously (e.g. sing marvelously, cook marvelously)
marvelously + adjective (e.g. marvelously fresh, marvelously soft)
用法筆記
Frequently modifies adjectives of quality (marvelously clean, marvelously soft) and verbs of performance (sang marvelously, cooks marvelously). This sense is purely an intensifier with positive feeling — it does NOT carry the 'causing wonder' meaning of sense 2.
常見錯誤
2. in a way that causes surprise or admiration because something is remarkably unus
in a way that causes surprise or admiration because something is remarkably unusual, well-preserved, or unexpectedly fine
The stone bridge at the village edge was marvelously preserved after eight hundred years of harsh winters.
marvelously + past participle for remarkable preservation
Emre's wood carvings are marvelously detailed, with tiny leaves and feathers cut by hand.
marvelously + adjective for surprising fineness
The two old letters matched marvelously, as if both had been written on the same quiet evening.
Ife found a marvelously intact dinosaur tooth while walking along the cliffs near the seaside.
The library's medieval map was marvelously colourful, with gold lines and tiny painted ships at the edges.
- remarkably
more neutral; highlights what is noteworthy without strong positive colouring
- astonishingly
stronger; suggests something is hard to believe
- amazingly
more conversational; commonly used in everyday speech
- unsurprisingly
opposite — predictable, not striking
文法句型
marvelously + past participle (e.g. marvelously preserved, marvelously crafted)
marvelously + adjective of degree (e.g. marvelously intact, marvelously detailed)
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 1 (EXTREMELY WELL): sense 2 highlights how surprising or striking a quality is, not just its high degree. Common with words of preservation, craft, accuracy, or match (marvelously preserved, marvelously detailed, marvelously intact). If you could swap 'extremely' in without changing the meaning, sense 1 fits better.
常見錯誤
3. in a way that seems miraculous or beyond natural explanation, often in religious
in a way that seems miraculous or beyond natural explanation, often in religious or older literary writing
Old church records say the trapped miner was marvelously delivered after seven days underground.
marvelously + delivered in a religious or miraculous context
The medieval chronicle reports that the king's deep wound was marvelously healed overnight without any surgeon's help.
In the legend, the lost child was marvelously guided home by a white deer.
The saint's writings claim that food appeared marvelously on the table during the long winter famine.
- miraculously
the standard modern choice for the same idea; works in any register
- supernaturally
stronger emphasis on causes outside the natural world
- naturally
opposite — through ordinary, explainable means
文法句型
marvelously + verb (e.g. marvelously delivered, marvelously healed)
用法筆記
Now mostly limited to religious, legendary, or older literary contexts (saints' lives, medieval chronicles, fairy tales). In ordinary modern speech, choose 'miraculously' instead — it carries the same meaning without sounding archaic.