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

Clancy's case is "an incredibly distressing and rare outcome of postpartum psychosis," Wilson told AFP last month.

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

Robert De Niro has spent more than five decades building one of Hollywood’s most celebrated careers—and an incredibly unique mulitmillion-dollar property portfolio.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

"Following a huge amount of scientific effort, this is incredibly exciting," the University of Bristol senior research associate added.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

More incredibly, Moreno was at the cusp of the impossible: convincing a generation of Latino baseball fans in Orange County to side with the Halos instead of the Dodgers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

Zeke was taller than the pelican now, and though birds are incredibly powerful, Zeke was big for a small lizard.

From "Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody" by Patrick Ness

Related Words

• especially
• fabulously
• strangely
• uncommonly