incredibly

[in-kred-uh-blee]

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.

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 .

Word History and Origins

Origin of incredibly¹

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

Example Sentences

Ms Clarke said they walked towards them and began taking some photos but quickly realised that the fans were "incredibly hostile" and "seemed to be more of an angry mob rather than a parade".

Read more on BBC

“I’m incredibly proud to be here to help celebrate this moment with the entire family, and with our proud community that wants to continue to uplift these voices each and every day.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

The first time I took my Panigale on a racetrack, it performed incredibly—smooth as butter and agile in corners.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Together, these instruments functioned like a single Earth-sized telescope capable of detecting incredibly subtle distortions in light caused by the dark object's gravity.

Read more on Science Daily

“There’s no way we can do that,” she says, “We’re really well supported, our supporters are incredibly generous, but there’s no way we can come up with another 90 million dollars.”

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• especially 
• fabulously www.thesaurus.com
• strangely www.thesaurus.com
• uncommonly