exceptional
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- special, abnormal, atypical, extraordinary, irregular, odd, peculiar, strange, unusual
- remarkable, excellent, extraordinary, marvellous, outstanding, phenomenal, prodigious, special, superior

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Antonyms: unexceptional, average
Contrasted words: frequent, common, commonplace, familiar, ordinary, usual, run-of-the-mill
Related Words: infrequent, scarce, distinct, notable, noteworthy, good, excellent, marvelous, outstanding, phenomenal, wonderful, extraordinary, singular, special

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English Thesaurus: excellent, great, fantastic/terrific/wonderful, amazing/incredible, superb, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

ex‧cep‧tion‧al /ɪkˈsepʃənəl/ adjective

1. unusually good Synonym : outstanding:
an exceptional student
exceptional bravery

2. unusual and likely not to happen often:
This is an exceptional case; I’ve never seen anything like it before.
Promotion in the first year is only given in exceptional circumstances.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

exceptional
adj.
VERBS be | remain | consider sb/sth The head teacher considers Jamie's performance altogether exceptional.
ADV. highly, really, very | altogether, quite, wholly

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

exceptional

exceptional talent/ability/skill
He showed exceptional talent even as a youngster.
exceptional quality
This is a wine of exceptional quality.
exceptional bravery/courage
Fire crews showed exceptional bravery.
quite exceptional (=very exceptional)
The level of effort involved is really quite exceptional.
truly exceptional (=really or extremely exceptional)
The film features a truly exceptional cast, including Oscar winner Denzel Washington.
the most exceptional (=the best)
George Best was one of the most exceptional footballers of all time.
an exceptional case
In the 1950s, some working class students went on to university, but these were exceptional cases.
an exceptional event
If an exceptional event occurs, such as the death of a family member, you can ask for the court case to be postponed.
the exceptional nature of something (=the very unusual qualities or features that something has)
In view of the exceptional nature of your crime, this court sentences you to a minimum of twenty years.
most exceptional (=very exceptional)
A child will only be removed from the parental home in the most exceptional of cases.
highly exceptional (=extremely exceptional)
A loan of this size is highly exceptional.
in exceptional circumstances (=when a situation is extremely unusual)
The U.S. will only issue a visitor visa at short notice in exceptional circumstances.
give somebody exceptional leave to do something formal (=give someone special permission to do something)
Two of the asylum seekers were given exceptional leave to stay in Britain.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

excellent extremely good or of very high quality:
His English was excellent.
an excellent piece of work
great spoken extremely good. Great is less formal than excellent, and is the usual word to use in everyday spoken English:
‘Did you have a good holiday?' 'It was great!’
He did a great job as captain.
fantastic/terrific/wonderful spoken extremely good. These words sound even more excited than great or excellent:
‘I passed my exam.’ ‘That’s fantastic!’
Last year Jess had a terrific season, averaging eleven points a game.
The trip will be a wonderful opportunity for the children.
amazing/incredible extremely good in a surprising and exciting way:
an amazing view of Tokyo
The trip was an incredible experience.
superb extremely good – used especially when you are very impressed by something:
The acting was superb.
There is a superb range of cheeses.
first-class of a high quality and much better than most others:
The service is first-class.
a first-class restaurant
outstanding extremely good – used when saying how well someone does something:
He’s an outstanding player.
It was an outstanding performance by a talented young actor.
exceptional unusually good – used when saying that someone or something is much better than any others:
She has an exceptional talent.
He writes good essays, but I wouldn’t say that his work is particularly exceptional.
Merits are given as an honour for exceptional achievement.
out of this world [not before noun] spoken informal used when saying that something is so good that it is better than anything you could have imagined:
The food is out of this world.
awesome especially American English very good:
It was an awesome concert.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

good of a high standard or quality:
I’ve just read a really good book.
My French is not very good.
nice pleasant and enjoyable. Nice is very common in spoken English. In written English, it is better to use other words:
I hope you have a nice vacation.
It will be nice to see you again.
good quality/high quality well made from good materials:
If you buy good quality shoes, they last much longer.
high-quality wallpapers
fine used for describing things of a very high quality, or weather with no rain and clear skies:
The restaurant serves the finest food in Florence.
If it’s fine tomorrow, we’ll go for a walk.
neat American English spoken good – used when you like something:
That’s a neat idea.
They sell some really neat stuff.
attractive an attractive offer, course of action etc seems good and makes you want to accept it or do it:
Going home for dinner was a more attractive proposition than completing his run.
Buying direct from the manufacturer seems the most attractive option.
impressive something that is impressive is good in a way that makes people admire it:
an impressive achievement
It was a very impressive performance.
excellent/superb extremely good:
Your English is excellent.
She’s a superb teacher.
great/wonderful/terrific/fantastic especially spoken extremely good:
It’s a great film.
Her cooking is wonderful.
That’s a terrific idea!
brilliant British English especially spoken extremely good:
The play was absolutely brilliant.
amazing/incredible extremely good, in a surprising and exciting way:
New York is an amazing place.
The skating has been incredible in this competition.
beautiful/glorious used about weather that is very pleasant and sunny:
It’s a beautiful day.
The weather was just glorious.
outstanding/first-class/top-quality much better than other places, people etc:
an outstanding performance
The service is always first-class.
exceptional unusually good:
Occasionally, we get a student with exceptional talent.
a woman of exceptional beauty
awesome especially American English informal very good:
The movie was awesome.
be out of this world spoken to be extremely good:
Their chocolate cake is just out of this world!

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

unusual different from what usually happens:
We had snow in May, which is very unusual.
rare not happening very often, or existing only in small numbers:
Violent crimes are rare.
Hatton gathered many rare plants from all over the world.
exceptional /ɪkˈsepʃənəl/ very unusual and happening very rarely:
90-day visas can be extended only in exceptional circumstances.
The presence of a jury in a civil trial is now quite exceptional.
out of the ordinary unusual and surprising or special:
It was a small village where nothing out of the ordinary ever seemed to happen.
freak extremely unusual and unexpected - used about an accident, storm etc:
A freak wave wrecked most of the seafront.
Their car was crushed by a tree in a freak accident.
unprecedented /ʌnˈpresədentəd, ʌnˈpresɪdentəd/ if something is unprecedented, it has never happened before - often used about successes and achievements:
An unprecedented number of students have received top grades.
This kind of deal is unprecedented.
unheard of if something is unheard of, it has never happened or been done before - used especially when something seems very surprising to people at that time:
In our small town, this kind of crime was almost unheard of.
unheard-of luxuries such as electric windows and air-conditioning
eccentric behaving in a way that seems rather strange but not frightening:
The house was owned by an eccentric millionaire.
eccentric behaviour
unconventional very different from the way people usually behave, think, dress etc, often in a way that seems interesting:
His parents had a rather unconventional lifestyle, and let their children do whatever they pleased.
His approach to business may seem unconventional, but he certainly gets results.
unorthodox unorthodox ideas or methods are different from the usual ones, and therefore seem surprising to many people:
He is known for his unorthodox political views.
unorthodox teaching methods

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲