excellence

American  

[ek-suh-luhns] / ˈɛk sə ləns /

noun

1. the fact or state of excelling; superiority; eminence.

   his excellence in mathematics.

   Synonyms:

   distinction, transcendence, preeminence

2. an excellent quality or feature.

   Use of herbs is one of the excellences of French cuisine.

   Synonyms:

   virtue, merit

   Antonyms:

   inferiority

3. (usually initial capital letter) excellency.

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excellence British  

/ ˈɛksələns /

noun

1. the state or quality of excelling or being exceptionally good; extreme merit; superiority

2. an action, characteristic, feature, etc, in which a person excels

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Other Word Forms

• superexcellence noun

Etymology

Origin of excellence

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin excellentia; equivalent to excel + -ence

Example Sentences

The amount of own goals that Arsenal benefit from is in part down to their excellence from set-pieces and the pressure they put on oppositions.

From BBC

In her infamous Brisbane speech, Shriver hailed the novelist as cultural appropriator par excellence.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Certainly when you lose a game you have a lot of feelings, because especially the group of players are so competitive and they seek excellence," the Spaniard said.

From Barron's

The hosts "represent excellence, authenticity and cultural impact in their own right," says Kanya.

From BBC

“I do not believe that financial insecurity should stop our nation’s elite athletes from breaking through to new frontiers of excellence,” Stevens said.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• greatness
• merit
• perfection
• purity
• quality
• supremacy
• virtue