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. )

Example Sentences

And at an incredibly fraught moment for Latinos and Latin culture in the U.S., she’s bringing a hemisphere’s worth of history and hopes with her onstage.

From Los Angeles Times

Even though the numbers make it sound incredibly large, Prof Ramesh describes it as a "medium-sized" one.

From BBC

"Children are getting diagnosed much earlier than they used to be and there are three brilliant drugs that work incredibly well. The future for these children is bright."

From BBC

"It will be a tough race. Hard work but incredibly fun," he said.

From Barron's

Smaller markets, typically in historic settings, are also proving popular on TikTok, sometimes incredibly so.

From BBC

Related Words

• especially
• fabulously
• strangely
• uncommonly