Definition of excel

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< exceedingly

excellence >

ex·cel    (k-sl) KEY 

VERB:
ex·celled, ex·cel·ling, ex·cels
VERB:
tr.

To do or be better than; surpass.

VERB:
intr.

To show superiority; surpass others.

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ETYMOLOGY:
Middle English excellen, from Latin excellere; see kel-² in Indo-European roots

SYNONYMS:
excel, surpass, exceed, transcend, outdo, outstrip

These verbs mean to be or go beyond a limit or standard. To excel is to be preeminent (excels at figure skating) or to be at a level higher than another or others (excelled her father as a lawyer). To surpass another is to be superior in performance, quality, or degree: an athlete surpassed by none. Exceed can refer to being superior (an invention that exceeds all others in ingenuity), to being greater than another (a salary exceeding 70 thousand dollars a year), and to going beyond a proper limit (exceed one's authority). Transcend often implies the attainment of a level so high that comparison is hardly possible: Great art transcends mere rules of composition. To outdo is to excel in doing or performing: won't be outdone in generosity. Outstrip strongly suggests leaving another behind, as in a contest: a case of the student outstripping the teacher.