excellence
Americannoun
-
excellences
plural
-
the fact or state of excelling; superiority; eminence.
his excellence in mathematics.
- Synonyms:
- distinction, transcendence, preeminence
-
an excellent quality or feature.
Use of herbs is one of the excellences of French cuisine.
- Antonyms:
- inferiority
-
(usually initial capital letter) excellency.
noun
-
the state or quality of excelling or being exceptionally good; extreme merit; superiority
-
an action, characteristic, feature, etc, in which a person excels
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of excellence
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin excellentia; equivalent to excel + -ence
Explanation
Excellence means greatness — the very best. Achieving excellence is never easy to do. Excellence is a quality that people really appreciate, because it's so hard to find. Excellence is the quality of excelling, of being truly the best at something. Getting an A+ shows excellence. Michael Jordan's basketball career was filled with excellence. We love Picasso and Shakespeare for their excellence. When you see excellence, you should appreciate the work that went into it. So much in the world falls short of excellence.
Vocabulary lists containing excellence
Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Suffixes: -ance, -ence
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"CLEP Principles of Management," Vocabulary from Chapter 10
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"The MGMT Solution," Vocabulary from Chapter 16
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
You should question which sponsor wants to commit serious dollars to an athletic department that doesn’t fully commit to pursuing excellence in the most important endeavor of football.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
And she would like to see a centre of excellence for adoption in Scotland, where anyone involved in adoption can receive comprehensive training and support.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2026
Since its excellence needs no explaining, here are a few others that are as worthy of our appreciation, including a heartwarming duet that epitomizes Parton’s universal appeal.
From Salon ● Aug. 29, 2026
The elegantly presented “An Exquisite Eye: Introducing the Aso O. Tavitian Collection,” at the Clark, offers a preview with 150 works by artists from different countries, deploying different mediums, united by consistent excellence.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026
My eyes couldn’t get past words like excellence, distinction, gifted, and especially Donovan Curtis.
From "Ungifted" by Gordon Korman
It is a film of excellences, never more so than in the performances by Robert De Niro and a remarkable supporting cast.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 25, 2023
The days after VE Day were perfect for a tragic English opera with an English setting, and its musical excellences were supplemented by a sense of its national significance.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 7, 2013
What saves it is that no one cares about anything but the astonishing excellences of Miss Laurette Taylor as the infinitely pathetic mother.
From Time Magazine Archive
That these excellences are unintentional in no way detracts from the power of Ten Nights in a Bar-Room.
From Time Magazine Archive
Her excellences were her own; her faults lie at the door of society.
From Lola Montez An Adventuress of the 'Forties by Edmund B. d'Auvergne
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.
