excellence

noun

ˈek-s(ə-)lən(t)s How to pronounce excellence (audio)
Definition of excellencenext
1
as in excellency
exceptionally high quality the annual awards honor excellence in children's literature

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in distinction
a quality that gives something special worth the particular excellence of down in clothing and sleeping bags is its lightness

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of excellence That kind of insult to excellence can't happen in college football, since every Saturday matters and losing just a couple of games, even early in the season and to good teams by narrow margins, can end your hopes (see Notre Dame last season). — Bradley Gitz, Arkansas Online, 28 Sep. 2026 Carrie Coon will be the first recipient of the Vancouver International Film Festival’s new Luminary Award in the acting category, honoring excellence and dedication to the art of moving image. — Katherine Brodsky, Variety, 28 Sep. 2026 Each of the Rose Court members will be awarded a $7,500 academic scholarship, in line with the Tournament of Roses' long-standing tradition of celebrating educational excellence. — Chelsea Hylton, CBS News, 28 Sep. 2026 So, the Packers of Vince Lombardi, Ray Nitschke, Jim Taylor, Herb Adderly, Willie Wood, Jerry Kramer and the other men who made this franchise a beacon of excellence and toughness and turned Green Bay into Titletown are a long-ago memory. — Armando Salguero Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for excellence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for excellence
  1. excellency
  2. distinction
  3. superiority
  4. value
  5. perfection
  6. advantage
  7. virtue
  8. merit
Noun
  • Education was considered an individual pursuit marked by moral excellency and only the students who did the best in school would have proceeded to higher education.
    — Sara Novak, Discover Magazine, 12 Nov. 2024
  • Paradise Dynasty, Kang Kang, Long Xing Ji, Hui Tou Xiang, Min Min Pie House (and so many more) should all be household names worthy of recognition for their myriad styles and excellency.
    — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 2 Jan. 2024
Definition of excellency
Noun
  • Stillness, which had seemed ontologically secondary to the art form, now gained distinction as a substantive component.
    — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The distinction matters in environments such as logistics and manufacturing, where productivity depends on throughput rather than simply completing an individual movement.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of distinction
Noun
  • That result shocked many Germans who had believed their country had developed an immunity to nationalism and assertions of racial superiority after confronting the horrors of its Nazi past through education and laws to prohibit persecution.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Sep. 2026
  • That result shocked many Germans who had believed their country had developed an immunity to nationalism and assertions of racial superiority after confronting the horrors of its Nazi past through education and laws to outlaw persecution.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of superiority
Noun
  • Contrary to the traditional labor theory of value, which calculates the value of a good or service through the amount of labor required to produce it, Poliks and Trillo posit latency and delay to be the true sources of value.
    — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • While such gifts can help to reinforce certain values, Pennington says that is not the only reason more people are choosing not to wait until after they’re gone to give away money.
    — Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of value
Noun
  • Anything short of perfection feels like disaster on the world stage.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
  • The 60-seat restaurant is known for its cooked-to-perfection aged steaks, seafood towers, classic cocktails and extensive wine list.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of perfection
Noun
  • To weaponize this advantage, the 30 clubs have withheld roughly $75 million each in central-fund distributions, amassing a $2 billion liquidity holdback.
    — Chris Koras, Sportico.com, 28 Sep. 2026
  • SpaceX has advantage its rivals can’t easily match Choose CNBC as your preferred source on Google and never miss a moment from the most trusted name in business news.
    — Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of advantage
Noun
  • New recruits and seasoned officers alike take field trips to the Museum of Tolerance, where trainers extol the virtues of multiculturalism.
    — Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Baek Ki-hyeon aspired to walk a path of virtue and provide for their sister through honest means — but his calculating spymaster big brother was never going to let them out of his grasp.
    — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of virtue
Noun
  • Active stock pickers must instead consider the merits of each holding against the prospect of higher rates.
    — Zev Fima, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Fair systems constrain defensive managers’ ability to manipulate ratings and reassure high performers that merit matters more than politics.
    — Jonathan H. Westover, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of merit

Phrases Containing excellence

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excelled
excellence
excellences
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Cite this Entry

“Excellence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excellence. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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