Meaning & use

exceptional

adjective·Academic

Unusually excellent or outstanding; standing well above the ordinary standard or level.

See it in a sentence

Her exceptional talent for mathematics earned her a place at a top university.

The restaurant is known for exceptional service as well as excellent food.

A note on using this word

Exceptional most often means impressively good, but it can also simply mean unusual or atypical, as in 'exceptional circumstances', without implying quality.

Words with a similar meaning

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Words with an opposite meaning

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