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Literary notes about impressive (AI summary)

Writers deploy "impressive" to evoke a multifaceted sense of grandeur and seriousness, whether in speech, physical description, or atmosphere. It can describe a tone of voice charged with authority and solemnity—as when a character intones with a measured, impressive cadence ([1], [2])—or capture a striking physical presence that commands attention ([3], [4]). At times the term even colors a moment of silence, imbuing it with potential gravity, though sometimes with an ironic twist when the intended effect falls short ([5], [6]). Its versatility further allows it to accentuate both the magnificence of a scene and the nuanced character of an individual, underscoring how language can elevate everyday encounters into memorable, almost ritualistic experiences ([7], [8]).
  1. The Count, nodding his head, said in an impressive tone:— “Thus fate is wont to end all in this world by the sound of a bell.
    — from Pan Tadeusz; or, The last foray in Lithuania by Adam Mickiewicz
  2. 'I will,' returned the other, leaning forward across the table, and speaking in a low impressive voice.
    — from Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens
  3. The man who entered was a strange and impressive figure.
    — from Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
  4. The impressive dimensions and simple plan of this structure gave it a majesty worthy of its rank as the first church of Christendom.
    — from The Declaration of Independence of the United States of America by Thomas Jefferson
  5. A silence followed which might have been impressive, but was merely awkward.
    — from A Room with a View by E. M. Forster
  6. [He goes out with impressive decorum, and spoils it by slamming the door savagely].
    — from Pygmalion by Bernard Shaw
  7. The human mind enjoys impressive visions of unearthly creatures.
    — from Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas: An Underwater Tour of the World by Jules Verne
  8. [400] The effect is extraordinarily impressive.
    — from Shakespearean Tragedy: Lectures on Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth by A. C. Bradley

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