wondrous
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wondrous
Wonderful or strange in an astonishing, often inexplicable or fairy-tale-like way.
Die wundersame Heilung des Patienten konnten sich die Ärzte nicht erklären.
The doctors could not explain the patient's wondrous recovery.
The adjective is derived from 'das Wunder' (miracle/wonder). The ending '-sam' forms adjectives that describe a quality or tendency. So 'wundersam' (wondrous) means something like 'full of wonders' or 'like a miracle'.
Im Wald entdeckten wir eine wundersame Pflanze.
In the forest, we discovered a wondrous plant.
'Wundersam' (wondrous) belongs more to written language and has a poetic or fairy-tale-like sound. It is used less often in normal everyday speech.
Die Geschichte erzählt von einer wundersamen Reise in ein fernes Land.
The story tells of a wondrous journey to a distant land.
The adjective often describes nouns that refer to a change, an event, or a place, such as 'eine wundersame Verwandlung' (a wondrous transformation), 'eine wundersame Begegnung' (a wondrous encounter), or 'eine wundersame Welt' (a wondrous world).
Es war eine wundersame Begegnung, die mein Leben veränderte.
It was a wondrous encounter that changed my life.
wonderful
Both words can express a strongly positive reaction to something amazing. „Wunderbar“ clearly sounds delighted and approving, whereas „wundersam“ usually sounds more poetic and can additionally suggest something inexplicable, fairy-tale-like, or strange. For clear approval, „wunderbar“ is therefore the better choice.
Auf wundersame Weise fand sie den verlorenen Schlüssel wieder.
In a wondrous way, she found her lost key again.
Es war wunderbar, dass alle Freunde überraschend zur Feier kamen.
It was wonderful that all their friends unexpectedly came to the celebration.
