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.
The other excellent tool is Betye’s memory, especially for the early times: I designed this, this was the individual that I worked with and I know where those sketches are.
From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026
Remote sensing of these emissions is an excellent tool for probing the composition and dynamics of Mars' upper atmosphere between 40 and 80 km.
From Science Daily • Nov. 9, 2023
But it’s an excellent tool for keeping X usable, and unlike most of such tools, it doesn’t require Musk or his team to do anything.
From Slate • Aug. 19, 2023
I jest about using it as a webcam, but the Cam Link is an excellent tool for streaming and recording video.
From The Verge • Jul. 25, 2022
An excellent tool, however, for cutting up rods of not more than 1⁄2 inch in diameter, is Elliott’s cutting-off tool shown in Fig.
From Modern Machine-Shop Practice, Volumes I and II by Rose, Joshua
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.
