exception

noun

ik-ˈsep-shən How to pronounce exception (audio)
Definition of exceptionnext
1
as in objection
a feeling or declaration of disapproval or dissent I take strong exception to your assessment of his singing ability

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in anomaly
something that is different from what is ordinary or expected her tardiness today is an exception; usually she's on time

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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 exception Rahma has even seen plenty of exceptions to the conventions around how frequently a YouTube channel has to publish a video or how long a clip needs to be to find an audience. — Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 26 Aug. 2026 Each set of three bases in the DNA corresponds to a specific amino acid (with three exceptions, each of which signals the end of the protein). — ArsTechnica, 26 Aug. 2026 For decades, with a few exceptions, alternates only made the event if an initial selection was injured or, after the game was moved to the week before the Super Bowl, a player was preparing to play in the title game. — Jonathan Jones, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 One exception is the Department of the Army, headed by a civilian appointee, which agreed with getting rid of CHMR entirely. — Megan Rose, ProPublica, 25 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for exception
Recent Examples of Synonyms for exception
  1. objection
  2. anomaly
  3. complaint
  4. rarity
  5. question
  6. abnormality
Noun
  • The sale has drawn objections from the flight attendants union and a software firm that says some of the data isn’t Spirit’s to sell.
    — Jeff Kleinma, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Collins, Scott, and Whitmer spent much of the past year and a half framing their objections as cautionary.
    — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of objection
Noun
  • The sound of the band is an anomaly, even within the obscure parameters of underground Latin.
    — Ernesto Lechner, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The oversize dive and pilot’s watches of the 1990s and early 2000s were an anomaly, and recent years have seen a return to more sensible proportions.
    — Oren Hartov, Robb Report, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of anomaly
Noun
  • Grannell has made other threats this year, beginning five months ago, according to the account of an FBI special agent that is described in a criminal complaint.
    — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Aug. 2026
  • The first ethics complaint was filed last Friday by an employee of the City Attorney's Office who also asked to remain anonymous.
    — Brian Maass, CBS News, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of complaint
Noun
  • The rarity of the condition means diagnosis can be delayed, increasing the chances of severe symptoms.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Its native structure, the twenty-two-episode season, has become a rarity in the industry, as has its default lightness.
    — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of rarity
Noun
  • As Kevin Warsh thinks more hawkishly than expected in Washington, the answers to many of his questions may be in Seoul.
    — William Pesek, Forbes.com, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Although not quite as polished on the racial politics front, Lanterns’s third episode is no less intriguing, as an hour of television dedicated not only to answering pressing questions but fleshing out its lead character in disturbing ways.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of question
Noun
  • Medical experts at the time suspected her death was caused by a brain abnormality that ruptured because of the intensity of the ride.
    — Blake Ellis, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Physicians needed to decide what to do if a pregnant woman came to the ER suffering from organ failure, or carrying a fetus with a fatal abnormality.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of abnormality

Phrases Containing exception

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excepting
exception
exceptionability
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Cite this Entry

“Exception.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exception. Accessed 31 Aug. 2026.

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