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

“It goes without saying that unmanned systems are incredibly, incredibly important in future warfare,” Mach Industries founder Ethan Thornton told Barron’s in a recent interview.

From Barron's

"This was an incredibly surprising thing to behold," Lima said.

From Science Daily

"Even though this model deals with incredibly high energies, it leads to clear predictions that today's experiments can actually look for," Afshordi said.

From Science Daily

Parents have described the breakthrough as "incredibly meaningful" and a starting point for better treatment and understanding of the condition.

From BBC

Although black holes themselves cannot be seen, they can become incredibly bright when actively consuming surrounding material.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• especially
• fabulously
• strangely
• uncommonly