1
as in extraordinary
being out of the ordinary
an exceptional amount of snow fell in March
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2
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
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3
as in intelligent
having or showing quickness of mind
a special school for exceptional children
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Examples of exceptional in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In part, that’s because the original Beetlejuice is such a perfect encapsulation of all the little grace notes that used to make Burton’s work so exceptional — and all the grace notes Burton began to abandon as his movies became ever more schticky and self-indulgent.
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Constance Grady, Vox, 6 Sep. 2024
See some art, including the exceptional exhibitions listed below, a few of which promise to change minds about sending those kids off to learn, how nature exists in the city, and what’s at stake in this democracy.
—Lori Waxman, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2024
But uniformitarianism turned out to be a rigid and incomplete doctrine, one that blinded generations of geologists to the possibility that the planet was also shaped by exceptional and dramatic events, a counter-theory known as catastrophism.
—Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2024
Popular on Variety This year’s ‘Special Program in Focus’ was inspired by the fact that many exceptional teen coming-of-age films have been produced in Asia recently, festival organizers explained.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 19 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for exceptional 
Constance Grady, Vox, 6 Sep. 2024
See some art, including the exceptional exhibitions listed below, a few of which promise to change minds about sending those kids off to learn, how nature exists in the city, and what’s at stake in this democracy.
—Lori Waxman, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2024
But uniformitarianism turned out to be a rigid and incomplete doctrine, one that blinded generations of geologists to the possibility that the planet was also shaped by exceptional and dramatic events, a counter-theory known as catastrophism.
—Kathryn Schulz, The New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2024
Popular on Variety This year’s ‘Special Program in Focus’ was inspired by the fact that many exceptional teen coming-of-age films have been produced in Asia recently, festival organizers explained.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 19 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for exceptional
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'exceptional.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Exceptional.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/exceptional. Accessed 17 Sep. 2024.
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