excellence
Americannoun
-
the fact or state of excelling; superiority; eminence.
his excellence in mathematics.
- Synonyms:
- distinction, transcendence, preeminence
-
an excellent quality or feature.
Use of herbs is one of the excellences of French cuisine.
- Antonyms:
- inferiority
-
(usually initial capital letter) excellency.
noun
-
the state or quality of excelling or being exceptionally good; extreme merit; superiority
-
an action, characteristic, feature, etc, in which a person excels
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of excellence
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin excellentia; equivalent to excel + -ence
Explanation
Excellence means greatness — the very best. Achieving excellence is never easy to do. Excellence is a quality that people really appreciate, because it's so hard to find. Excellence is the quality of excelling, of being truly the best at something. Getting an A+ shows excellence. Michael Jordan's basketball career was filled with excellence. We love Picasso and Shakespeare for their excellence. When you see excellence, you should appreciate the work that went into it. So much in the world falls short of excellence.
Vocabulary lists containing excellence
Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ance, -ence
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"CLEP Principles of Management," Vocabulary from Chapter 10
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ekubo was also awarded a Certificate of Excellence from the Sapio Club - a Nigeria-based community proposing solutions to social and national issues - for his contributions, including humanitarian work.
From BBC • May 13, 2026
Lead researcher Andrew Danso from JYU's Centre of Excellence in Music, Mind, Body and Brain said the results could have practical value for anyone trying to improve exercise performance or stick with a training routine.
From Science Daily • May 9, 2026
Dr. Sundar Jagannath, network director for the Center of Excellence for Multiple Myeloma at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, meanwhile, supports the use of the term cure.
From Slate • Mar. 29, 2026
The company says it’s also supporting athletes with a new Athlete Center of Excellence run by financial professionals who understand the athlete experience, as well as financial education outreach at universities.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026
“The parameters of the award are wide open. Excellence is the only criterion.”
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
