Words for Different Levels of “Good”: From Decent to Flawless
If you're learning English, “good” is probably one of the first words you learned, and one of the ones you use the most. That's natural, but it also means everything ends up sounding the same: a good hotel, a good plan, a good pianist, a good result.
Native speakers choose different words depending on how good something is. A hotel might be decent. A plan might be solid. A pianist might be flawless. Each word tells your listener something different.
Here are seven words, ordered from mild to top-level, so you can pick the one that fits.
The ladder at a glance
| Level | Word | Roughly means |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | decent | good enough, nothing special |
| 2 | solid | reliably good, no big weaknesses |
| 3 | commendable | deserves praise and respect |
| 4 | excellent | very high quality |
| 5 | outstanding | much better than others |
| 6 | phenomenal | extraordinarily good |
| 7 | flawless | perfect, no mistakes |
1. decent
UK /ˈdiːsnt/ · US /ˈdisnt/ · adjective
Meaning: Good enough, but not special.
Examples
- The hotel was decent for the price.
- He earns a decent salary, nothing more.
Synonyms: acceptable, adequate, reasonable Opposites: poor, unacceptable
Tip: Decent can sound like faint praise. If you say a film was “decent”, people usually understand that you didn't love it.
2. solid
UK /ˈsɒlɪd/ · US /ˈsɑlɪd/ · adjective
Meaning: Reliably good, with no major weaknesses.
Examples
- She gave a solid performance in the final.
- It's a solid plan, and it should work.
Synonyms: reliable, sound, dependable Opposites: weak, unreliable
Tip: Common in everyday and work conversations. It suggests “you can rely on this”, rather than “this is exciting”.
3. commendable
UK /kəˈmɛndəbl/ · US /kəˈmɛndəbl/ · adjective
Meaning: Deserving praise and respect.
Examples
- Her commitment to the project was commendable.
- It was a commendable effort for a first attempt.
Synonyms: admirable, praiseworthy, laudable Opposites: shameful, unworthy
Tip: A formal word. You'll often meet it in feedback, reviews and reports, and it's often about effort or behaviour rather than just results.
4. excellent
UK /ˈɛksələnt/ · US /ˈɛksələnt/ · adjective
Meaning: Of very high quality.
Examples
- The food was excellent.
- He speaks excellent Spanish.
Synonyms: superb, first-class, splendid Opposites: terrible, inferior
Tip: A safe choice in almost any situation, formal or informal.
5. outstanding
UK /aʊtˈstandɪŋ/ · US /aʊtˈstændɪŋ/ · adjective
Meaning: Much better than others of the same kind.
Examples
- She received an award for outstanding service.
- His results were outstanding.
Synonyms: exceptional, remarkable, superior Opposites: mediocre, ordinary
Tip: The idea is that something stands out from the rest. It's common in awards, reports and performance reviews.
6. phenomenal
UK /fɪˈnɒmɪnl/ · US /fəˈnɑmənl/ · adjective
Meaning: Extraordinarily good, far beyond normal.
Examples
- The team had phenomenal success this season.
- Her talent is phenomenal.
Synonyms: extraordinary, incredible, remarkable Opposites: ordinary, unremarkable
Tip: Enthusiastic and strong. Use it when you're genuinely impressed.
7. flawless
UK /ˈflɔːləs/ · US /ˈflɔləs/ · adjective
Meaning: Perfect, with no mistakes or faults.
Examples
- The pianist gave a flawless performance.
- Her English is almost flawless.
Synonyms: perfect, impeccable, faultless Opposites: flawed, faulty
Tip: This is a strong claim, because it says there is nothing wrong. That's why people often say “almost flawless”.
Same sentence, seven levels
Try swapping the word and notice how the meaning changes:
The presentation was decent. (It was fine, nothing more.) The presentation was solid. (It was reliable and well done.) The presentation was commendable. (It deserves credit for the effort.) The presentation was excellent. (It was very high quality.) The presentation was outstanding. (It was better than the rest.) The presentation was phenomenal. (It was far beyond normal.) The presentation was flawless. (It had no mistakes at all.)
How to remember them
Reading a list once won't make these words stick. What helps is meeting them again at the right time: after a day, then a few days, then a couple of weeks. This is called spaced repetition, and it's what Mem-App is built around.
- Look up each word in Mem-App to see its definition, examples, synonyms, opposites and UK/US pronunciation in one place.
- Add the ones you want to learn to your list.
- Review them. After each word, rate it Easy, Good, Hard or Forgot, and the next review is scheduled for you.
Mem-App is free to start. The Starter plan lets you save up to 50 words and add 5 new words a day, with no ads. You can install it on Android, iPhone and iPad, Mac and Windows straight from your browser, with no app store needed.
This is part of the series “Words for different levels of…”. Which word should I do next? Reply or message me and let me know.
Mem-App Team
Let's memorise! at https://mem-app.com/app.