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

See Examples For:

incredibly

They squeeze enormous amounts of mass into an incredibly small region, creating gravity so intense that not even light can escape.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 13, 2026

She thinks a £5 contribution from each child adds up to an "incredibly generous" gift for staff.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

In short, he is showing an incredibly impressive dynamism in the type of goals he scores.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

The birds are ready for marinating, which helps keep the lean meat moist, and they cook incredibly quickly—so throw on once your guests have already arrived.

From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026

Jeremy spent most of the walk back to his house thinking alternately about his conversation with Miss Priest and about how incredibly hungry he was.

From "Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher" by Bruce Coville

Related Words

• especially
• fabulously
• strangely
• uncommonly