stunning

Stunning is an adjective used to describe something that is extremely impressive, beautiful, or surprising in a way that causes astonishment. It can refer to natural scenes, performances, works of art, or people, and it typically conveys a strong positive reaction. The term emphasizes intensity and impact rather than mere adequacy.

In everyday usage, stunning is commonly applied to landscapes, architecture, fashion, photography, or moments of achievement. It can describe a person’s appearance (stunning beauty) or the effect of an event (a stunning victory). In formal or cautious writing, it may be viewed as a strong, sometimes hyperbolic descriptor, best supported by concrete detail.

Grammatical note: stunning is the -ing participle form of the verb stun, used as an adjective to describe something that causes astonishment. The adverb is stunningly, and a related informal noun is stunner, used for an especially attractive person or thing.

Etymology and usage context: the verb stun has long carried the sense of dazing or shocking someone, and stunning evolved from this sense to describe striking impressions. The word remains common in media, advertising, and everyday speech, where it signals a high level of visual or sensory impact.