EXCELLING Synonyms: 56 Similar and Opposite Words

excelling

verb

present participle of excel

as in exceeding

to be greater, better, or stronger than the special effects in this new sci-fi extravaganza excel any that we've seen previously

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

losing (to)

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of excelling Highlights of Daniels excelling for the Tigers in big games might be considered within the ambit of newsworthiness and defeat a right-of-publicity claim. — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 15 Aug. 2026 Several players impressed, with fifth-round pick Jacob Monk excelling at left guard, working with the first-team offense and showing versatility. — Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026 Power of women CEOs Stock performance aside, women chief executives are already excelling in their management roles in a trend Lizarraga first noticed about 20 years ago. — Michelle Fox, CNBC, 6 Aug. 2026 Willis grew up as a dancer, excelling in ballet, contemporary, jazz and hip-hop, and dancing competitively at a private studio and throughout high school. — Gustavo Turner, HollywoodReporter, 24 July 2026 In Atlanta, rookie shortstop Jim Jarvis has been excelling in his first opportunity in the big leagues. — Jayson Stark, New York Times, 24 July 2026 Ross has been a reliable purveyor of opulent vacation rap, excelling at the kind of empty-calorie singles that go down smooth and leave no real lasting impact. — Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 23 July 2026 The emotional pain can be especially acute when someone’s self-identity rested on excelling in a sport or a professional role. — ABC News, 13 July 2026 Jorgenson remains one of the Tour’s rare talents, excelling in mountain stages, time trials, tactical races and breakaways. — Idaho Statesman, 30 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for excelling

Verb

Shift toward utility-scale plants The current submissions represent a shift toward utility-scale plants exceeding 100 megawatts on single bodies of water.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 21 Aug. 2026
The Big Island could see 5 to 10 inches of rain, with isolated amounts exceeding a foot, while Maui might get up to 3 inches.

— Marshall Shepherd, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of exceeding

Verb

Here, in a sleepy suburb just outside the city along the banks of the River Avon, Jackson is in the process of running his 81st consecutive ultramarathon, surpassing the men’s record which stood at 80.

— Rob Tanner, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
The biopic rocked the box office this summer, surpassing $1 billion in global ticket sales.

— Isabelle Farina, Variety, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of surpassing

Verb

Many stars, including Hathaway, have been embracing maternity dressing that shows off their bumps, rather than eclipsing them with boxy silhouettes.

— Amina Ayoud, Footwear News, 16 Aug. 2026
Just paying interest on that costs more than a trillion dollars a year, eclipsing every other federal program besides Social Security.

— Scott Horsley, NPR, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of eclipsing

Verb

The home run was Bleday’s 21st of the season, topping his previous career high of 20 with the Athletics in 2024.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 Aug. 2026
With some ballots still outstanding, Wahab has about 53% of the vote, topping 47% for Hernandez, former mayor of Dublin, California, and president of Bay Area Rapid Transit.

— Joey Garrison, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of topping

Browse Nearby Words

excellently

excelling

excels

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Excelling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excelling. Accessed 25 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of excelling

verb

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