Dictionary

excel en · VERB

Pronunciation

/ɛkˈsɛl/
(Canada) audio
/ɪkˈsɛl/
(Southern-England) audio

Etymology

From Middle English excellen, from Old French exceller, from Latin excellere, excelsum; ex (“out”) + *cellō, an unattested verb root found in culmen (“height, top”); Compare French exceller. See also culminate, column.

Meanings

(transitive) To surpass someone or something; to be better or do better than someone or something.
- I excelled everyone else with my exam results.
- La Rochefoucauld, the French philosopher, said: "If you want enemies, excel your friends; but if you want friends, let your friends excel you." Why is that true? Because when our friends excel us, that gives them a feeling of importance; but when we excel them, that gives them a feeling of inferiority and arouses envy and jealousy. 1936, Dale Carnegie, “Part 3, Chapter 6: THE SAFETY VALVE IN HANDLING COMPLAINTS”, in How to Win Friends and Influence People:
- Compositions which follow the style of Nissi Belzer's creations in structure but which excel them in length. 1929, Abraham Zevi Idelsohn, Jewish Music: Its Historical Development, page 434:
(reflexive) To do much better than usual.
- Everyone agreed Magnus really excelled himself this tournament.
(intransitive) To be much better than others.
- 1924: Aristotle, Metaphysics. Translated by W. D. Ross. Nashotah, Wisconsin, USA: The Classical Library, 2001. Book 1, Part 2.. If, then, there is something in what the poets say, and jealousy is natural to the divine power, it would probably occur in this case above all, and all who excelled in this knowledge would be unfortunate.
- From Rosie the Riveter to Coco Channel^([sic – meaning Coco Chanel]) (in pants!), from Amelia Earhart to the quaintrelle (the female dandy), change in women's dress has symbolized everything from the right and need to work outside the home to wearing pants as a fashion statement to excelling at a profession (even as an aviatrix) to once again claiming the right to cultivate life's pleasures. 2011, Glenda L. Swetman, Alison Trappey, “Principles of Gender-specific Medicine”, in Lawrence Charles Parish, Sarah Brenner, Marcia Ramos-e-Silva, Jennifer L. Parish, editors, Manual of Gender Dermatology, Sudbury, Mass.; Mississauga, Ont.: Jones & Bartlett Learning, →ISBN, part I (Primer of Gender Dermatology), page 9:
- Lescott gave his finest England performance alongside his former Everton team-mate Phil Jagielka, who also excelled despite playing with a fractured toe, while Parker was given a deserved standing ovation when he was substituted late on. 2011 November 12, “International friendly: England 1-0 Spain”, in BBC Sport:
- But it is as a destroyer of grasshoppers that the dickcissel excels. 1901, Sylvester D. Judd, The Relation of Sparrows to Agriculture, page 91:
(archaic, rare, transitive) To exceed, to go beyond.
- She opened; but to shut / Excelled her power: the gates wide open stood […] 1674, John Milton, Paradise lost, book II:
- I reason, we could die : / The best vitality / Cannot excel decay; / But what of that? a. 1887 (date written), Emily Dickinson, “[Book IV.—Time and Eternity] I reason, earth is short”, in Mabel Loomis Todd and T[homas] W[entworth] Higginson, editors, Poems, First Series, Boston, Mass.: Roberts Brothers, published 1890, →OCLC, page 134:

Forms

Spelling	Features	Source
excelled	Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part	lexicographic
excelled	Tense=Past	lexicographic
excelling	Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part	lexicographic
excels	Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres	lexicographic

Translations (92)

gl destacar (intransitive: to be much better than others) · ru превосходи́ть (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · es aventajar (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · gl avantaxar (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · es llevarse la palma (intransitive: to be much better than others) · sv stila (intransitive: to be much better than others) · pt distinguir-se (intransitive: to be much better than others) · ja 卓越する (intransitive: to be much better than others) · cs vynikat (intransitive: to be much better than others) · ar فَاقَ (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · ca excel·lir (intransitive: to be much better than others) · ar بَزَّ (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · es sobresalir (intransitive: to be much better than others) · it spiccare (intransitive: to be much better than others) · es superar (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · ko 탁월하다 (intransitive: to be much better than others) · es descollar (intransitive: to be much better than others) · fi olla parempi (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · gl sobresaír (intransitive: to be much better than others) · cs překonat (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · es lucirse (intransitive: to be much better than others) · sv glänsa (intransitive: to be much better than others) · de sich hervortun (intransitive: to be much better than others) · sv excellera (intransitive: to be much better than others) · nah tlamiauati (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · pt ultrapassar (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · cmn 優於 /优于 (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · hu jeleskedik (intransitive: to be much better than others) · ar بَرَعَ (intransitive: to be much better than others) · cmn 超越 (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · de herausragend sein (intransitive: to be much better than others) · cmn 擅長 /擅长 (intransitive: to be much better than others) · sv briljera (intransitive: to be much better than others) · gl adiantar (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · bg превъзхо́ждам (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · la praecellō (intransitive: to be much better than others) · grc ὑπερβάλλω (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · eo superi (intransitive: to be much better than others) · nl uitblinken (intransitive: to be much better than others) · gl sobrepasar (intransitive: to be much better than others) · fi olla erittäin hyvä (intransitive: to be much better than others) · es destacarse (intransitive: to be much better than others) · bg отлича́вам се (intransitive: to be much better than others) · it superare (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · grc ὑπερφέρω (intransitive: to be much better than others) · pt exceler (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · ru превзойти́ (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · ko 뛰어나다 (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · ta சிற (intransitive: to be much better than others) · ar تَفَوَّقَ (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · grc ὑπερφέρω (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · pt superar (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · ja 超える (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · oc excellir (intransitive: to be much better than others) · cmn 勝過 /胜过 (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · fr surpasser (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · gl superar (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · ja 越える (intransitive: to be much better than others) · grc ὑπερέχω (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · eo superi (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · hu kimagaslik (intransitive: to be much better than others) · it superare (intransitive: to be much better than others) · ja 越える (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · de übersteigen (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · ja 秀でる (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · fr exceller (intransitive: to be much better than others) · hu felülmúl (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · et ületama (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · fi loistaa (intransitive: to be much better than others) · ru выделя́ться (intransitive: to be much better than others) · it primeggiare (intransitive: to be much better than others) · he הצטיין (intransitive: to be much better than others) · es llevarse la joya (intransitive: to be much better than others) · es distinguirse (intransitive: to be much better than others) · hu kitűnik (intransitive: to be much better than others) · it brillare (intransitive: to be much better than others) · ja 超える (intransitive: to be much better than others) · et hiilgama (intransitive: to be much better than others) · it eccellere (intransitive: to be much better than others) · de übertreffen (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · la praecellō (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · io ecelar (intransitive: to be much better than others) · ar اِمْتَازَ (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · gl sobrepasar (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · gl superar (intransitive: to be much better than others) · sv överglänsa (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · es bordar (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · hu túltesz (transitive: to surpass someone or something) · grc ὑπερέχω (intransitive: to be much better than others) · hu kiemelkedik (intransitive: to be much better than others) · ru отлича́ться (intransitive: to be much better than others) · de ausstechen (transitive: to surpass someone or something)

excel en · VERB

Pronunciation

Etymology

Meanings

Forms

Antonyms

Deriveds

Hyponyms

Relateds

Synonyms

Translations (92)