exceptional

American  

[ik-sep-shuh-nl] / ɪkˈsɛp ʃə nl /

adjective

1. forming an exception or rare instance; unusual; extraordinary.

   The warm weather was exceptional for January.

   Synonyms:

   anomalous, aberrant, unnatural, strange, singular, uncommon

2. unusually excellent; superior.

   an exceptional violinist.

   Antonyms:

   ordinary, average

3. Education. (of a child)

   1. being intellectually gifted.

   2. being physically or especially mentally disabled to an extent that special schooling is required.

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exceptional British  

/ ɪkˈsɛpʃənəl /

adjective

1. forming an exception; not ordinary

2. having much more than average intelligence, ability, or skill

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Related Words

See irregular.

Other Word Forms

• exceptionality noun
• exceptionally adverb
• exceptionalness noun
• nonexceptional adjective
• preexceptional adjective
• quasi-exceptional adjective
• superexceptional adjective

Etymology

Origin of exceptional

First recorded in 1840–50; exception + -al ¹

Example Sentences

She was kind of the gateway to exceptional comedy — physical comedy, intellectual comedy, and a wonderful absurdity but also quite often, in surprising ways, rather heartbreaking.

From Los Angeles Times

"Girl with a Pearl Earring is one of the most famous paintings in the world... It is therefore loaned to other institutions only in highly exceptional circumstances," said the Mauritshuis.

From Barron's

The metric removes exceptional and other one-off items.

From The Wall Street Journal

The U.S. is exceptional in the extent to which it has expanded through land purchases, starting with the Louisiana Purchase of 1803.

From The Wall Street Journal

"It's exceptional, it's incredible," said Pierre, a Parisian.

From BBC

Related Words

• extraordinary
• notable
• noteworthy
• odd
• phenomenal
• rare
• remarkable
• singular
• special
• strange
• uncommon
• unheard-of
• unique
• unprecedented
• unusual