excellence

[ ek-suh-luhns ]

noun

1. the fact or state of excelling; superiority; eminence:

   his excellence in mathematics.

   Synonyms: distinction, transcendence, preeminence

2. an excellent quality or feature:

   Use of herbs is one of the excellences of French cuisine.

   Synonyms: virtue, merit

   Antonyms: inferiority

3. (usually initial capital letter) excellency ( def 1 ).

excellence

/ ˈɛksələns /

noun

1. the state or quality of excelling or being exceptionally good; extreme merit; superiority
2. an action, characteristic, feature, etc, in which a person excels

Other Words From

• super·excel·lence noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of excellence¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin excellentia; equivalent to excel + -ence

Example Sentences

Knowles told TMZ that “excellence” is what viewers can expect from the holiday gig.

From Los Angeles Times

Mr. Musk is running his businesses at “a level of excellence that very few companies can even start to relate to,” Mr. Griffin said, adding that he was all the more impressed at Mr. Musk’s deepening relationship with the next Trump administration.

From New York Times

Ronald Sanders, a senior fellow at George Washington University’s Center for Excellence in Public Leadership, who has worked on nine presidential transitions and held positions across the federal government, told Salon that between Schedule F and the power the president maintains over the rest of the federal workforce, the incoming administration has laid the groundwork to dismiss people first and resolve outstanding issues later.

From Salon

The study was initiated by Professor Matthias Brendel, Acting Director of the Department of Nuclear Medicine, Dr. Nicolai Franzmeier from the Institute for Stroke and Dementia Research, and Professor Günther Höglinger, Director of the Neurological Clinic -- all three of whom are also members of the SyNergy Cluster of Excellence.

From Science Daily

Four minutes after Bayliss scored, there was more excellence from Scotland.

From BBC

Related Words

• greatness
• merit
• perfection
• purity
• quality
• supremacy
• virtue