exceedingly
Americanadverb
adverb
Etymology
Origin of exceedingly
Explanation
Use the adverb exceedingly to mean "very." You might brag, for example, that you did exceedingly well on the big math test last week. Exceedingly means "to a very large degree," so it's best to save it for things that really need to be emphasized. You might be exceedingly angry at your little sister after she borrowed your favorite sweater and spilled ketchup on it, or exceedingly happy to have gotten into your first choice college. Exceedingly has a Latin root, excedere, "depart, go beyond, be in excess, or surpass."
Vocabulary lists containing exceedingly
"Common Sense," Vocabulary from the pamphlet
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A Rover's Story
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"The Ugly Duckling" by Hans Christian Andersen
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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.
Alan Anderson, the title character of Courtney Maum’s comic novel “Alan Opts Out,” is the co-owner of a Connecticut advertising agency and a man exceedingly well-suited to his line of work.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026
The ultimate replacement rate of 36.6% is higher than the original rate for early retirees, and reduced from the exceedingly high rates that emerged from an error in the indexation of benefits in the 1970s.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 11, 2026
They also make it exceedingly difficult for pro se petitioners filing on their own behalf to strategize the best approach and avoid being procedurally barred.
From Slate • May 29, 2026
And if Treasury bond yields extend their upward climb, it will be exceedingly difficult for stocks to resume their torrid pace of second-quarter gains.
From Barron's • May 15, 2026
‘To me it seemed exceedingly strange,’ said Boromir.
From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien
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.
