exceptionally

adverb ex·cep·tion·al·ly \ ik-ˈsep-shnə-lē , -shə-nᵊl-ē \

|Updated on: 15 Aug 2018

Definition of exceptionally

: in an exceptional manner : to an exceptional degree; especially : more than average or usual

an exceptionally difficult task

Recent Examples of exceptionally from the Web

At other film festivals around the world, finding a good comedy is exceptionally hard.

— richard chang, latimes.com, "19th annual Newport Film Festival opens at Edwards Big Newport," 27 Apr. 2018
The flu epidemic has hit California exceptionally hard this season.

— CBS News, "14-year-old girl dies after getting the flu," 9 Feb. 2018
When our bodies work exceptionally hard, our muscles switch from aerobic to anaerobic activity, creating lactate as a byproduct.

— kathryn free, Popular Mechanics, "A Temporary Tattoo to Track Your Workout and Charge Your Phone," 13 Aug. 2014
And that was the breakneck, breathtaking pace of the Weeknd's 100-minute set, where the longest relief in the music lasted, at most, 20 seconds — and those moments were exceptionally rare.

— piet levy, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Review: The Weeknd lives up to superstar status at Summerfest in Milwaukee," 7 July 2018
The film, starring Chloe Grace Moretz, chronicles Cahalan's curious disease, which perplexed doctors, until she was finally diagnosed with anti-NDMA receptor encephalitis, an exceptionally rare autoimmune disease.

— Houston Chronicle, "New Netflix movie explores disease studied by Houston doctor," 2 July 2018
The second reason the move remains so puzzling: The Colts are exceptionally thin at all three linebacker spots.

— zak keefer, Indianapolis Star, "Colts observations: More throws from Andrew Luck, does John Simon have a home?," 13 June 2018
Such attacks are exceptionally rare, and the circumstances of this one belied typical mountain lion behavior.

— wes siler, Outside Online, "What Really Caused Washington’s Cougar Attack?," 23 May 2018
Though sad and sickening, these sorts of attacks are exceptionally rare; in Washington, this is only the second recorded puma-related fatality in the last 94 years.

— National Geographic, "Cougar That Killed Cyclist Was Underweight, Likely Desperate," 21 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'exceptionally.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.