does 'impress someone' always mean 'impress someone in a good way'?

Question

Here is a sample IELTS speaking topic: Describe someone who impressed you most in your primary school. Does this 'impressed you most' mean 'impressed you most in a good way'? Can I talk about a person who impressed me in a bad way, like someone who I hated most?

Answer 1

I think it would be unusual to interpret "impressed by" this way. If you were deft and clever enough you might make it work as a speaking topic by structuring your talk so that the hate led you to do something that turned out well. Perhaps that person was a bully who taught you to defend yourself or a stern teacher you hated at the time but in retrospect respect.

Answer 2

Impress can certainly be used in negative ways, though simply disliking someone doesn't seem like it would usually qualify, More like: "His dumb stunts were the stuff of school legend, impressing students and teachers alike. The worst was probably when he mooned the crowd at the baseball game, timing it just right to appear on the Jumbotron."