Excellence — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun /ˈek-s(ə-)lən(t)s/ ex·cel·lence

Meaning & Definition of Excellence

Excellence (noun)

  1. the quality of being excellent
  2. an excellent or valuable quality, virtue
  3. excellency

Excellence (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. exceptionally high quality

    "the annual awards honor excellence in children's literature"

    similar: choiceness, distinction, excellency, first-rateness, greatness, perfection, preeminence, primeness, superbness, superiority, supremacy
    related: faultlessness, flawlessness, impeccability, perfectness, goodness, value, worth, consequence, importance, notability
    near: averageness, badness, crumminess, inferiority, mediocrity, ordinariness, worthlessness

  2. a quality that gives something special worth

    "the particular excellence of down in clothing and sleeping bags is its lightness"

    similar: cardinal virtue, distinction, excellency, grace, merit, value, virtue
    related: advantage, edge, plus, superiority
    opposite: deficiency, demerit, disvalue
    near: blemish, defect, failing, fault, flaw, drawback, minus, negative

Related Entry: Par excellence (adjective)

Par excellence is a different word from Excellence. The synonyms below are for par excellence, not for excellence.

  1. of the very best kind

    "sophisticated cuisine that is obviously the work of a chef par excellence"

    similar: A-OK, A1, awesome, bang-up, banner, beautiful, blue-chip, blue-ribbon, boffo, bonny (chiefly British), boss (slang), brag, brave, bully, bumper, capital, choice, classic, cool (slang), corking, crackerjack, cracking, dandy, divine, dope (slang), down (slang), dynamite, excellent, fab, fabulous, famous, fantabulous (slang), fantastic, fine, first-class, first-rate, first-string, five-star, four-star, frontline, gangbusters, gilt-edged, gone (slang), grand, great, groovy, heavenly, high-class, hot, hype (slang), immense, jim-dandy, keen, lovely, marvelous, mean, neat, nifty, noble, number one, numero uno, out-of-sight (slang), peachy, peachy keen, phat (slang), prime, primo (slang), prize, prizewinning, quality, radical (slang), righteous (slang), sensational, slick, splendid, stellar, sterling, superb, superior, superlative, supernal, swell, terrific, tip-top, top, top-notch, top-of-the-line, top-shelf, topflight, topping (chiefly British), unsurpassed, wizard (chiefly British), wonderful, out of this world, too much
    related: acceptable, adequate, all right, decent, good, OK, passable, satisfactory, tolerable, better, exceptional, fancy, high-grade, high-test, premium, select, special, superfine, classical, standard, traditional
    opposite: atrocious, awful, execrable, lousy, pathetic, poor, rotten, terrible, vile, wretched
    near: bad, inferior, low-grade, substandard, unsatisfactory, mediocre, middling, second-class, second-rate

Related Entry: Par excellence (adverb)

Par excellence is a different word from Excellence. The synonyms below are for par excellence, not for excellence.

  1. as in very, completely

    similar: completely, extremely, full, fully, right, very, anyhow, anyway, anywise, at all, ever, half, however, altogether, exactly, somehow, someway, out
    opposite: never, no, none, nothing, noway, nowise, nowhere near, barely, hardly, marginally, narrowly, scarcely, slightly

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Excellence

The most common words with a similar meaning to Excellence:

choiceness, distinction, excellency, first-rateness, greatness, perfection, preeminence, primeness, superbness, superiority, supremacy, cardinal virtue, grace, merit, value, virtue

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Excellence

Words with the opposite meaning of Excellence:

deficiency, demerit, disvalue

Related Words for Excellence

faultlessness, flawlessness, impeccability, perfectness, goodness, worth, consequence, importance, notability, advantage, edge, plus

Near Antonyms of Excellence

averageness, badness, crumminess, inferiority, mediocrity, ordinariness, worthlessness, blemish, defect, failing, fault, flaw, drawback, minus, negative

Origin & Etymology of Excellence

First known use: 14th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Excellence

Words & Phrases Containing Excellence

Black excellence, par excellence, center of excellence

Frequently Asked Questions about Excellence

What does "Excellence" mean?

"Excellence" means the quality of being excellent. As a noun, it is defined as: the quality of being excellent. It has 2 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Excellence"?

Other words for "Excellence" include choiceness, distinction, excellency, first-rateness, greatness, perfection, preeminence and primeness. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Excellence" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Excellence"?

There are 28 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Excellence". Common alternatives include choiceness, distinction, excellency, first-rateness, greatness, perfection, preeminence, primeness, superbness and superiority.

What is the opposite of "Excellence"?

Antonyms of "Excellence" include deficiency, demerit and disvalue. Near antonyms include averageness, badness, crumminess and inferiority.

How do you use "Excellence" in a sentence?

Examples of "Excellence" in a sentence: "the annual awards honor excellence in children's literature"; "the particular excellence of down in clothing and sleeping bags is its lightness".

Is "Excellence" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Excellence" is a noun.

Is "Excellence" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a C1-level word, "Excellence" is typical of Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE), IELTS band 7.0–8.0, TOEFL iBT 95–113, PTE Academic 76–84, TOEIC Listening & Reading 945+. Advanced words like this are also useful for the GRE, SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.

How do you pronounce "Excellence"?

"Excellence" is pronounced /ˈek-s(ə-)lən(t)s/ and divided into syllables as ex·cel·lence.