excellent

excellent — adjective

1. far better than most others of the same type; among the very best in its class.

1.adjectiveA2
Definition

far better than most others of the same type; among the very best in its class.

Example

The sushi at Leo's favourite restaurant is absolutely excellent.

collocation: absolutely / really / truly + excellent (intensifying a strong adjective)

Niran gave an excellent presentation on climate change to the whole school.

attributive position: excellent + noun

Common collocations
  • excellent + service
  • excellent + quality
  • excellent + condition
  • excellent + results
  • excellent + performance
  • excellent + health
  • absolutely excellent
  • truly excellent
Synonyms
  • outstanding

    even stronger; emphasises standing out noticeably from others

  • superb

    more formal; suggests the very highest possible quality

  • first-rate

    informal; emphasises belonging to the best category

  • exceptional

    focuses on being unusually good compared to the norm

Antonyms
  • terrible

    the opposite extreme — extremely bad

  • poor

    of low quality

  • mediocre

    only average, neither good nor bad

Grammar Patterns

excellent + noun

be + excellent

absolutely / really + excellent

Usage Note

Excellent is a strong adjective. In natural English it is not usually combined with 'very' — use 'absolutely', 'really', or 'truly' instead. Comparative forms ('more excellent', 'most excellent') are rare and sound unnatural in most contexts.

Common Mistakes

This restaurant has very excellent food.
This restaurant has absolutely excellent food.
'Excellent' already means 'extremely good'; pairing it with 'very' is unnatural.
How was your sandwich? — It was excellent.
How was your sandwich?
It was great.' — 'Excellent' describes top-level quality; for ordinary positive experiences use 'great' or 'very good'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All five words describe something of very high quality, but they differ in intensity and connotation. Excellent is the most general and widely used — it covers anything from a good meal to top academic results. Outstanding goes a step further, suggesting something that clearly stands apart from the competition. Superb is more formal and implies the highest possible standard, often used for artistic or culinary achievements. First-rate is informal and direct, common in everyday British and American speech ('a first-rate doctor'). Exceptional emphasises unusual merit, often suggesting the person or thing is not just good but rare in its excellence. For example: 'Her exam results were excellent' (very good overall), but 'Her results were outstanding' (among the top few in the country). A restaurant can serve excellent food, but a Michelin-starred one serves superb food.

excellent ↗outstanding ↗superb ↗first-rateexceptional ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • in excellent shape
  • in excellent condition
  • of excellent quality

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

From Latin 'excellens' (rising above, surpassing), the present participle of 'excellere' (to rise, be eminent). The word entered English through Old French 'excellent' in the 14th century, originally carrying the sense of 'surpassing others in quality or merit.'