as in surpassed
to be greater, better, or stronger than
the special effects in this new sci-fi extravaganza excel any that we've seen previously
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Recent Examples of excelled
Despite having a relatively straightforward main plot, the first Hades excelled at grafting deep backstories and layered personalities to each of its many characters that fleshed out Greek mythology.
—
Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2025
In Gadsden, Pendleton excelled in school, earning top grades and the respect of teachers and classmates alike.
—Jemma Stephenson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Sep. 2025
As a trainer, MC excelled at the physical competitions as part of the Hina tribe.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2025
Like Pribula, Sorsby has excelled so far this season.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 24 Sep. 2025
The main theme was making the best of an imperfect situation, which the Valkyries have excelled at on the court this year.
—Christian Babcock, Mercury News, 18 Sep. 2025
What Happens When Your Rivals Lose In the same 2010 study, Yankees fans watching Red Sox players falter—and vice versa—showed nearly as much joy, measured by fMRI, as when their own team excelled.
—Richard Menger Md Mpa, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Mason led the way among the region's biggest school districts, while Wyoming and Indian Hill also excelled.
—Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 15 Sep. 2025
Miami’s supposed to have better pass rushing and improved safety play this season, but the improvements made to the defense hasn’t helped Weaver’s unit be good at what the Dolphins defense excelled at last season, which was playing situational ball.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 14 Sep. 2025
Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 27 Sep. 2025
In Gadsden, Pendleton excelled in school, earning top grades and the respect of teachers and classmates alike.
—Jemma Stephenson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Sep. 2025
As a trainer, MC excelled at the physical competitions as part of the Hina tribe.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2025
Like Pribula, Sorsby has excelled so far this season.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 24 Sep. 2025
The main theme was making the best of an imperfect situation, which the Valkyries have excelled at on the court this year.
—Christian Babcock, Mercury News, 18 Sep. 2025
What Happens When Your Rivals Lose In the same 2010 study, Yankees fans watching Red Sox players falter—and vice versa—showed nearly as much joy, measured by fMRI, as when their own team excelled.
—Richard Menger Md Mpa, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Mason led the way among the region's biggest school districts, while Wyoming and Indian Hill also excelled.
—Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 15 Sep. 2025
Miami’s supposed to have better pass rushing and improved safety play this season, but the improvements made to the defense hasn’t helped Weaver’s unit be good at what the Dolphins defense excelled at last season, which was playing situational ball.
—Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 14 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excelled
Verb
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Notably, Americans’ stock ownership has surpassed that of the late 1990s, just before dot-com bubble burst, said John Higgins, chief markets economist at the consultancy Capital Economics.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
28 Sep. 2025
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What happened then has already been surpassed, as this field is moving so fast that a year is like a decade in many other fields.—
Rick Tumlinson,
Space.com,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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On September 24, Judge Smith permanently enjoined DHS from enforcing broad new immigration compliance conditions on a wide range of preparedness grants, ruling the agency had exceeded its statutory authority and failed to justify departing from longstanding grant practices.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
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Nike shares jumped in after-hours trading Tuesday after the sportswear maker’s quarterly results far exceeded Wall Street expectations, signaling that CEO Elliott Hill’s turnaround strategy is gaining momentum.—
Jeff Marks,
CNBC,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In 21 games played, he's eclipsed the 100-yard mark just twice.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
1 Oct. 2025
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His quality start percentage — starts with at least the mean save percentage for the season in a game — just eclipsed Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck for tops in the league.—
Jonas Siegel,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The upbeat hit became one of his signature songs and topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1988.—
Bryan West,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
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Among the 19 reports collected from the electeds and the members of Braun's cabinet, Morales' travel topped the list, totaling nearly $33,000.—
Kayla Dwyer,
IndyStar,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Excelled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excelled. Accessed 5 Oct. 2025.
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