incredibly

American  

[in-kred-uh-blee] / ɪnˈkrɛd ə bli /

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 .

Etymology

Origin of incredibly

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

Explanation

You can use the adverb incredibly to mean "extremely," like your best friend's incredibly disturbing Halloween costume. The word incredibly describes anything that is so fantastic, you almost doubt it's real. You might describe an incredibly fast runner or your incredibly strange French teacher. Incredibly can also describe amazement, like incredibly, someone returned your missing wallet, with everything still in it. The Latin root is incredibilis, "that cannot be believed."

Example Sentences

If the way people become incredibly wealthy is by just being con artists — as opposed to sociopaths, which is how they used to get incredibly wealthy — it’s even less attractive.

From Salon • Jun. 22, 2026

“Newsom is an incredibly savvy politician so he is clearly aware that voters are a lot more upset or concerned about data centers than they were a year ago.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 21, 2026

The food bank is incredibly appreciative, and it makes us feel like we’re making a difference in the lives of people we’ll likely never meet.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 20, 2026

The actual value of the cosmological constant is incredibly small compared with what theory predicts.

From Science Daily • Jun. 19, 2026

At this point, the most I can accuse my brother of is being incredibly dull.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• especially
• fabulously
• strangely
• uncommonly