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 Six months later, everyone unveils three sentences about excellence, integrity and exceptional solutions. — Brian Duggan, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2026 Opened the Deauville Film Festival this month, with Hawke receiving the Deauville Talent Award celebrating exceptional artists in cinema. — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 18 Sep. 2026 Access to exceptional roughs underpins the entire collection. — Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 17 Sep. 2026 As cadres constantly jockey for status, a purge is exceptional and devastating. — Andrew Mertha, Foreign Affairs, 17 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for exceptional

Recent Examples of Synonyms for exceptional

Adjective

The Tigers repeatedly found explosive gains through the air, some created not by an extraordinary throw but by a defensive breakdown.

— Taylor Eldridge, Kansas City Star, 18 Sep. 2026
The adventure experts at EYOS Expeditions have curated a new journey that combines a deep-water expedition with all the extraordinary wonders of Alaska’s wilderness.

— Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of extraordinary

Adjective

Vouchers allot roughly $10,500 to standard students, $30,000 to disabled students and $2,000 for homeschool students.

— Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Sep. 2026
Lynn explained that her daughter, who is a disabled veteran, earns roughly $70,000 a year between her VA disability compensation and her Social Security Disability Insurance.

— Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of disabled

Adjective

Anthropic this week detailed how its model Claude is helping the company to develop the next, more intelligent version of itself.

— Kaitlyn Huamani, Los Angeles Times, 19 Sep. 2026
The suspect was described by Palencia as an intelligent student and active taekwondo practitioner.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of intelligent

Adjective

The move is unusual due to the more than six-month-long conflict between Iran and the United States and no sign that agreements to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or return to talks on Iran's nuclear program are close.

— September 18, CBS News, 18 Sep. 2026
The team also needed to confirm that the unusual structures were genuine electron behavior rather than artifacts created by the microscope.

— Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of unusual

Adjective

Allegedly impaired driver slams into city bus The dual tragedies on Tuesday evening unfolded in rapid succession.

— Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2026
Parkinson’s is often marked by tremors, slow or impaired movement, tenseness or rigidity and difficulty balancing, as well as speech changes and loss of automatic motor functions like blinking or smiling, according to Mayo Clinic.

— Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of impaired

Adjective

But the clever props design (Bruce Dickinson and Anna Kraus) fills in any shoestring gaps.

— Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
Mathematicians have cooked up all sorts of clever error-correcting codes (not all based on sphere packing) for varied applications.

— Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of clever

Adjective

But this cycle, Republicans are doing so with unique political headwinds, chief among them the war in Iran.

— David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 20 Sep. 2026
Rather than excavating and extensively modifying hundreds of unique Minuteman-era facilities, the Air Force is developing a standardized, modular construction approach for the new silos.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of unique

Adjective

Baseball fans have long marveled at how the Dominican Republic, a tiny island nation with a population akin to Ohio, has produced so many brilliant players — roughly 10% of the major league.

— Tracy Weber, ProPublica, 18 Sep. 2026
Punk For seven brilliant years in the nineties, the Washington punk-rock band Bikini Kill kicked up a ruckus as pioneers of the riot-grrrl movement.

— Richard Brody, New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2026