excellent
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈɛksələnt/
ipa: /ˈɛksɪlənt/
ipa: /ˈɛkslənt/
ipa: /ˈɛksələnt/
Forms: form: more excellent
form: most excellent
Etymology: From Middle English excellent, from Old French excellent, from Latin excellēns (“elevated, exalted”), present participle of excellō (“elevate, exult”), equivalent to excel + -ent.
Senses: glosses: Having excelled, having surpassed.
examples: text: A great bargain also had been the excellent Axminster carpet which covered the floor; as, again, the arm-chair in which Bunting now sat forward, staring into the dull, small fire.
ref: 1913, Mrs. [Marie] Belloc Lowndes, chapter I, in The Lodger, London: Methuen, →OCLC; republished in Novels of Mystery: The Lodger; The Story of Ivy; What Really Happened, New York, N.Y.: Longmans, Green and Co., […], [1933], →OCLC, page 0016:
glosses: Of higher or the highest quality; splendid.
examples: text: Bill and Ted had an excellent adventure last week in preparation of their history exam.
text: Not long ago, it was difficult to produce photographs of tiny creatures with every part in focus. That’s because the lenses that are excellent at magnifying tiny subjects produce a narrow depth of field. A photo processing technique called focus stacking has changed that.
ref: 2013 July-August, Catherine Clabby, “Focus on Everything”, in American Scientist:
glosses: Exceptionally good of its kind.
examples: text: Elizabeth, therefore, who was an excellent hypocrite
ref: 1754–1762, David Hume, “(please specify the page)”, in [The History of England ], volume (please specify |volume=1 to 6), London: […] A[ndrew] Millar, […]:
text: Their sorrows are most excellent.
ref: 1616–1618, John Fletcher, Philip Massinger, Nathan Field, “The Queene of Corinth”, in Comedies and Tragedies […], London: […] Humphrey Robinson, […], and for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1647, →OCLC, Act II, scene iii:
glosses: Superior in kind or degree, irrespective of moral quality.
Synonyms: word: ace
word: admirable
word: awe-inspiring
word: awesome
word: bang on
word: bang-up
word: based
word: beneship
word: bitching
word: bomb
word: brilliant
word: bully
word: cher
word: choice
word: chronic
word: chur
word: cock on
word: cool
word: copacetic
word: crackerjack
word: cushty
word: dank
word: def
word: dope
word: excellent
word: exceptional
word: fab
word: fabulous
word: fantabulosa
word: fantastic
word: finger-lickin' good
word: fire
word: fireball
word: first-rate
word: fly
word: frabjous
word: gnarly
word: goated
word: great
word: grouse
word: kicking
word: killer
word: lash
word: lautitious
word: lit
word: marvelous
word: nang
word: outstanding
word: out of sight
word: phat
word: peng
word: phenomenal
word: pukka
word: quality
word: rad
word: radical
word: rum
word: sick
word: slap-up
word: slick
word: spiffing
word: splendid
word: sterling
word: super
word: superb
word: superior
word: sweet
word: swell
word: terrific
word: tight
word: top
word: top-drawer
word: top-hole
word: top-notch
word: top-of-the-range
word: top-shelf
word: topping
word: tubular
word: wicked
word: wicked pissah
word: wonderful
word: worldie
Hyponyms: word: deathless
Derived terms: eggcellent
excellence
excellently
excellentness
my very excellent mother just served us nine pizzas
sexcellent
superexcellent
unexcellent
Related terms: word: excel
word: best