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Showing results for "exceeding"
  • present participle of exceed.
Synonyms

exceeding

American  
[ik-see-ding] / ɪkˈsi dɪŋ /

adjective

  1. extraordinary; exceptional.


adverb

  1. Archaic. exceedingly.

exceeding British  
/ ɪkˈsiːdɪŋ /

adjective

  1. very great; exceptional or excessive

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adverb

  1. an archaic word for exceedingly

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of exceeding

First recorded in 1485–95; exceed + -ing 2

Explanation

The adjective exceeding comes from the verb to exceed, which means "go beyond." The massage was given with exceeding care — it was worth every cent. A parent feels exceeding pride at the graduation of a kid. You might also say that they feel "extra," if that helps to clue you into the meaning of exceeding, but it does have a slightly different meaning. If you were to have "extra" pride, then you'd have more than you needed. You might give the "extra" to someone else. To feel exceeding pride, though, means to have more than you might have expected. It's another way of saying something is exceptional in whatever way you mean.

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Vocabulary lists containing exceeding

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.

See Examples For:

Lumentum’s adjusted gross margin came in at 50.4%, exceeding the 48% that analysts had projected.

From MarketWatch Aug. 12, 2026

Castillo is meanwhile serving a prison sentence exceeding 11 years, which Mexico continues to dispute.

From Barron's Aug. 7, 2026

The biggest individual problem is phosphate - a nutrient from sewage and farm runoff - with around half of rivers still exceeding safe levels.

From BBC Aug. 6, 2026

In the U.K., where the Wegovy pill became available last month, Novo Nordisk said around 300,000 patients have already begun taking the pill, exceeding company expectations by far.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 5, 2026

Here are some of the conclusions that I gleaned from conversations with McKinsey executives and from their reports: We Americans often fantasize that German and Japanese industries are super-efficient, exceeding American industries in productivity.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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