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ripping

7 8.6

Very good and fun to experience

adjective
/ˈrɪpɪŋ/

Archaic

: fantástico

Her last novel is a ripping yarn packed with adventure and suspense.

Examples

We had a ripping time at the festival this weekend.
The band gave a ripping performance that had the whole crowd cheering.
The concert last night was absolutely ripping!
I found a ripping new restaurant in town.
We had a ripping time at the festival this weekend.
The band gave a ripping performance that had the whole crowd cheering.
The concert last night was absolutely ripping!

Synonyms

excellent

vsripping

∞ 1.0

Very good and better than most similar things

is informal British and more colloquial than this formal term

first-class

vsripping

209 3.4

Of the highest quality and very good

is informal British praise rather than a neutral formal label

splendid

vsripping

116 3.5

Very impressive and beautiful

is informal British and less grand, more colloquial in tone

mean

vsripping

Slang

71 7.5

Very good and impressive at a skill

is British informal rather than unspecified informal in regional tone

cracking

vsripping

4 8.4

Very good and enjoyable

is similar but applies across British informal contexts rather than chiefly one

fantabulous

vsripping

Archaic

4 9.2

Very good and impressive

is informal British but less playful and more standard in tone

corking

vsripping

Archaic

1 8.6

Very good and enjoyable

is equally informal British and expresses the same high praise

ripsnorting

vsripping

1 8.6

Very exciting and full of loud, strong action

focuses on high quality rather than energetic or noisy impression

slap-up

vsripping

1 8.9

Very good and large, often used for a meal or party

is the same praise but used more broadly in informal British speech

Antonyms

terrible

∞ 1.0

Very bad or unpleasant and often serious

awful

914 1.0

Very bad or unpleasant and causing dislike

Compounds

ripping bar

1 8.3

A long heavy metal tool with a flat chisel end for prying and a curved claw end for pulling nails

ripping chisel

Specialized

9.3

A long, strong hand tool with a bent blade for prying and cleaning deep joints in wood

How Good

ripping

Archaic

7 8.6

good

∞ 1.0

decent

526 2.3

Surface Forms

ripping positive

Morphology

ripping = rip (opaque) = rip + ing

The informal British sense 'very good' is a slang/idiomatic sense historically unrelated to the literal meaning 'to tear', so knowledge of 'rip' (tear) will not let learners infer 'excellent'.

Etymology

Ripping is a British informal word that comes from the simple verb rip 'to tear' and from the lively phrase rip-roaring, which once meant very noisy and exciting. So when something is called 'ripping' it feels so lively or fun it is counted as 'very good' or excellent.