incredibly

[in-kred-uh-blee]

adverb

1. in a way that is extraordinary, seemingly impossible, or difficult to believe; incredulously.

   Incredibly, we have already raised $750.

2. very; extremely.

   Your hair will be left incredibly soft, supple, and shiny.

   I found the incredibly uncomfortable seats a real distraction—tall people beware.

Usage

Incredibly and, somewhat less commonly, incredulously can both be used to mean “unbelievably,” as in It was an incredulously/incredibly expensive flight. They both share the roots of in, meaning “not,” and crēdere, meaning “to believe,” so this shared meaning of “not able to be believed” is rooted in their etymology. Beware, however: they both also have other senses that are not synonyms. Incredibly can mean “very” or “extremely,” but incredulously is not used that way: This is an incredibly exciting moment for me. Incredulously can mean “disbelievingly,” but incredibly is not used that way: She stared at the painting incredulously, skeptical of its veracity .

Word History and Origins

Origin of incredibly¹

First recorded in 1500–10; incredib(le) ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

Example Sentences

The filmmaker was drawn to one trait in particular: “The eyes of Jacob were incredibly soulful and incredibly profound, and he had a purity and a certain innocence,” Del Toro says.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

“We used to have churches. Now, not a lot of people practice religion in America. Having a community, having an IRL experience is an incredibly valuable thing.”

Read more on Wall Street Journal

NHS leaders and their teams are working incredibly hard to boost productivity.

Read more on BBC

"The question is when -- not if -- it blows up. And timing is incredibly hard."

Read more on Barron's

Although the band was “incredibly ambitious,” he says the band wasn’t always receptive to his advice.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• especially 
• fabulously www.thesaurus.com
• strangely www.thesaurus.com
• uncommonly