- forming an exception; not ordinary
- having much more than average intelligence, ability, or skill
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
ex•cep•tion•al /ɪkˈsɛpʃənəl/USA pronunciation
adj.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- forming an exception or rare instance;
unusual;
out of the ordinary:Getting snow on Halloween is exceptional. - unusually excellent;
superior:The movie was pretty good, but not exceptional. - Education(of a schoolchild)
- intellectually gifted.
- physically or esp. mentally handicapped to an extent that special schooling is required.
ex•cep•tion•al
(ik sep′shə nl),USA pronunciation adj.
ex•cep′tion•al′i•ty, n.
ex•cep′tion•al•ly, adv.
ex•cep′tion•al•ness, n.
- forming an exception or rare instance;
unusual;
extraordinary:The warm weather was exceptional for January. - unusually excellent;
superior:an exceptional violinist. - Education(of a child)
- being intellectually gifted.
- being physically or esp. mentally handicapped to an extent that special schooling is required.
- exception + -al1 1840–50
ex•cep′tion•al•ly, adv.
ex•cep′tion•al•ness, n.
- 1. . uncommon, singular, strange, unnatural, aberrant, anomalous. See irregular.
- 2. . average.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
exceptional /ɪkˈsɛpʃənəl/ adj
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'exceptional' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
big
- brilliant
- brilliance
- crackerjack
- especial
- exceeding
- genius
- giant
- great
- hero
- illuminati
- master
- masterclass
- Messiah
- monument
- narcissism
- particular
- quite
- rara avis
- saint
- singular
- superfine
- surpassing
- suttee
- thermal
- aberrant
- ambitious
- aristocracy
- artist
- badass
- ball clay
- beauty spot
- blue-ribbon jury
- box
- class
- competent
- crashing
- dandy
- distinct
- extraordinary
- faculty
- fancy
- finesse
- fortress
- Great Power
- green thumb
- Hercules
- honorable mention
- hot stuff
- idiot savant
