adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of excellent
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin excellent-, stem of excellēns, present participle of excellere excel
Explanation
Something excellent is very good, great, or high quality: this is one of the best compliments around. Words like extraordinary and exceptional are similar in meaning to excellent. This is a strong word used mainly for things, people, and actions that are much better than average. A B+ on a test isn't bad, but an A is excellent. In basketball, making an all-star team is excellent. Being excellent is difficult and people tend to admire it. People use excellent in another, less specific way sometimes. If you want to say "Cool" or "Good" you might say "Excellent!"
Vocabulary lists containing excellent
Thumbs Up: Synonyms for "Good"
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Beowulf vocabulary
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Commonly Misspelled Words, List 5
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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.
While women have produced excellent recent examinations, including “Furious” and “East of Eden,” the brutal truth is that the “Friday the 13th” movies are IP recognizable to hockey-masked trick-or-treaters too young to watch them.
From Salon ● Oct. 18, 2026
Our colleague Aymann Ismail does an excellent job explaining the nature of the concerns here.
From Slate ● Oct. 17, 2026
He went on to describe what was essentially just a buffet, albeit one with uncommonly excellent seafood, all hauled from chilly waters nearby and eaten at communal tables.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
One star recognises high-quality cooking, two stars indicate excellent cooking worth a detour, while three stars are reserved for exceptional cuisine worth a special journey.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
On most days a mirror would have been an excellent way to focus Lady Constance’s attention, but today was not most days, for when Lady Constance saw her reflection she shrieked.
From "The Unseen Guest" by Maryrose Wood
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
