incredibly

American  

[in-kred-uh-blee] / ɪnˈkrɛd ə bli /

adverb

1. in a way that is extraordinary, seemingly impossible, or difficult to believe; incredulously.

   Incredibly, we have already raised $750.

2. very; extremely.

   Your hair will be left incredibly soft, supple, and shiny.

   I found the incredibly uncomfortable seats a real distraction—tall people beware.

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Usage

Incredibly and, somewhat less commonly, incredulously can both be used to mean “unbelievably,” as in It was an incredulously/incredibly expensive flight. They both share the roots of in, meaning “not,” and crēdere, meaning “to believe,” so this shared meaning of “not able to be believed” is rooted in their etymology. Beware, however: they both also have other senses that are not synonyms. Incredibly can mean “very” or “extremely,” but incredulously is not used that way: This is an incredibly exciting moment for me. Incredulously can mean “disbelievingly,” but incredibly is not used that way: She stared at the painting incredulously, skeptical of its veracity .

Etymology

Origin of incredibly

First recorded in 1500–10; incredib(le) ( def. ) + -ly ( def. )

Explanation

You can use the adverb incredibly to mean "extremely," like your best friend's incredibly disturbing Halloween costume. The word incredibly describes anything that is so fantastic, you almost doubt it's real. You might describe an incredibly fast runner or your incredibly strange French teacher. Incredibly can also describe amazement, like incredibly, someone returned your missing wallet, with everything still in it. The Latin root is incredibilis, "that cannot be believed."

Example Sentences

This intense customization makes the therapy incredibly difficult to scale up, and the profit margins relatively narrow compared with standard drugs.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 28, 2026

Anchovies, best known for their buttery, melt-in-your-mouth texture, are incredibly vulnerable to high heat because they are semi-preserved.

From Salon • May 28, 2026

In a letter to parents Clarke said the news would come as a shock to the school community, adding: "Our thoughts are with Lillianna's family and friends at this incredibly difficult time."

From BBC • May 27, 2026

This penguin decay is incredibly rare in the Standard Model: for every million B mesons, only one will decay in this manner.

From Science Daily • May 26, 2026

Her eyes were incredibly sad, as if she realized something had changed in Frank—something much more important than the physical growth spurt.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

Related Words

• especially
• fabulously
• strangely
• uncommonly