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

“We do know that he’s an incredibly gifted storyteller and this is an incredible book,” Gerald said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

In California, an incredibly tight housing market and high rents are fueling a new generation of real estate scams that take advantage of people desperate to find an affordable place to live.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

What I would say is the whole Spirit of Cricket question is an incredibly difficult path to tread.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

Along with her mother and sister, she looked after her father at their home in Swindon, Wiltshire, as "social care provision was incredibly limited".

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

That would be incredibly stupid since she’d done the exact same thing to me once.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

Related Words

• especially
• fabulously
• strangely
• uncommonly