excellent
EHK-suh-luhnt
Excellent (adjective) means Extremely good; outstanding in quality. Example: “The chef prepared an excellent meal for all of us last night.”
adjective
1
Extremely good; outstanding in quality.
"The chef prepared an excellent meal for all of us last night."
"The reviews called it an excellent film."
"She did an excellent job organizing the event."
How to use excellent
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishVery good — better than "good" but a common, everyday word for high praise.
Common pairings
excellent work
excellent condition
excellent choice
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Word forms
- Comparative
- more excellent
- Superlative
- most excellent
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The chef prepared an _____ meal for all of us last night.
Etymology
From Old French excellent, from Latin excellens, the present participle of excellere (see "excel").
Synonyms
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Related words
Rhymes for excellent
See all rhymes for excellent →Frequently asked questions
What does “excellent” mean?
The word “excellent” means extremely good; outstanding in quality. In plain terms, very good — better than "good" but a common, everyday word for high praise.
How do you pronounce “excellent”?
“Excellent” is pronounced EHK-suh-luhnt (/ˈɛk.sə.lənt/ in IPA).
How do you use “excellent” in a sentence?
Here is “excellent” used in a sentence: “The reviews called it an excellent film.”
What is another word for “excellent”?
Words with a similar meaning to “excellent” include ace, admirable, amazing, awe-inspiring, awesome and bang on.
What is the opposite of “excellent”?
The opposite of “excellent” — its antonyms — are poor, terrible, bad and inferior.
What part of speech is “excellent”?
“Excellent” is an adjective.
Where does the word “excellent” come from?
The word “excellent” comes from Latin. From Old French excellent, from Latin excellens, the present participle of excellere (see "excel").
Is “excellent” a common word?
“Excellent” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.
What is the difference between 'excellent' and 'good'?
The difference is degree. 'Good' means satisfactory or better than average, while 'excellent' means extremely good — near the top of the scale. Something good meets expectations; something excellent clearly exceeds them. Excellent is the far stronger praise of the two.
What is the opposite of 'excellent'?
The direct opposites are words like terrible, awful, poor, or dreadful, describing very low quality. A milder opposite is 'mediocre', meaning only average or unremarkable. So work can range from excellent at the top, down through mediocre, to poor at the bottom.
Is 'excellent' formal or informal?
It sits comfortably in both registers. 'Excellent' is standard, neutral English you can use in a report, a review, or casual conversation without sounding stiff or slangy. That versatility is part of why it is one of the most common ways to signal high quality.
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