EXCEPTIONAL Synonyms: 247 Similar and Opposite Words

exceptional

adjective

ik-ˈsep-sh(ə-)nəl

Definition of exceptional

as in extraordinary

being out of the ordinary an exceptional amount of snow fell in March

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in disabled

deprived of the power to perform one or more natural bodily activities her experience working with exceptional children was rewarding and inspiring

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in intelligent

having or showing quickness of mind a special school for exceptional children

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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 exceptional And barring something unforeseen, the Dolphins will give him the chance to replicate an exceptional 2025 season. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 21 Aug. 2026 This exceptional longevity directly addresses concerns over battery degradation and replacement costs, allowing vehicles to outlast conventional ownership cycles and improving the long-term resale value of second-hand electric cars. — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 21 Aug. 2026 Yet another form of stigma remains largely untouched, which is the belief that emotional suffering is somehow necessary for exceptional achievement. — Rachel Docekal, STAT, 21 Aug. 2026 His early-season performances helped secure some dubs for those managers who saw the available opportunity in Tampa and who know that Ohio State mints exceptional wide receivers as Mercedes churns out exceptional automobiles. — Sports Betting, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for exceptional

Recent Examples of Synonyms for exceptional

Adjective

Building new housing on two islands in San Francisco, one of the hottest housing markets, involved an extraordinary saga.

— Julie Z. Weil, Washington Post, 21 Aug. 2026
As his abilities give him access to increasingly sophisticated criminal schemes and extraordinary wealth, he is drawn into a world of luxury, excess and organized cybercrime.

— Ed Meza, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of extraordinary

Adjective

An unidentified projectile struck and disabled an oil tanker about nine nautical miles northeast of Oman’s Ash Shishah, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported.

— Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026
An oil tanker was struck by an unknown projectile and disabled near Oman on Monday, according to an incident report from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations Centre.

— Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of disabled

Adjective

Nobody in their right mind would argue that Alphabet and Nvidia need laws to protect them from competition, but lots of otherwise intelligent people believe that banks, an even more profitable group of companies, do need such protection.

— Omid Malekan, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026
Goodbye, intelligent devices and Bluetooth-enabled everything.

— Kelsey Mulvey, Vogue, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of intelligent

Adjective

Its unusual features give it a curious, almost surprised expression, helping people connect with a species rarely seen outside its coral home.

— Cecilia Rodriguez, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026
Researchers used Jefferson Lab’s Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) to produce the experiment’s unusual probe.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of unusual

Adjective

That combination, just like QIH, suppressed neuronal firing and stripped out a comparable share of synapses, but the mice came out of it with impaired fear memory.

— Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 22 Aug. 2026
Panettiere wrote that she was told Kaya had microcephaly and could potentially be cognitively impaired.

— Deirdre Durkan, PEOPLE, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of impaired

Adjective

Under the rule, states must supply the USPS with lists of mail ballot recipients, and all outbound and return ballot envelopes must bear unique barcodes.

— Andrew Chung, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026
The extreme environment has long given researchers a unique perspective on what makes plants grow, insight that would be hard to obtain elsewhere.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of unique

Adjective

One season excelling in Leipzig, as well as a brilliant showing at this summer’s World Cup, was enough to convince the top teams to start battling for his signature.

— Ben Church, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
Keynes was one of the most brilliant economic minds of the twentieth century.

— Dan Schawbel, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026