Meanings
comparative more exceptional · superlative most exceptional
- educationRequiring special schooling for reasons of intellectual giftedness or physical or mental disability.
The origins of the conditions and disorders that exceptional learners have are not always well understood.
Synonyms: especial
- geometryCorresponding to something of lower dimension under a birational correspondence.
an exceptional curve; an exceptional divisor
plural exceptionals
- An exception, or something having an exceptional value
Above and beyond all these exceptionals, by reason of divergencies from the norms of mental and of physical status, there are quite a number of moral defectives.
1909, Pediatrics, volume 21, page 276
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveForming an exception; not ordinary; uncommon; rare.
adjectiveRequiring special schooling for reasons of intellectual giftedness or physical or mental disability.
antonym(s) of “forming an exception”
antonym(s) of “superior due to exception or rarity”
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivefar beyond what is usual in magnitude or degree
adjectivesurpassing what is common or usual or expected
adjectivedeviating widely from a norm of physical or mental ability; used especially of children below normal in intelligence
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁éǵʰ
- Proto-Indo-European*h₁éǵʰs
- Proto-Italic*eks
- Latinex
- Latinex-
- Proto-Indo-European*kap-
- Proto-Indo-European*kapyéti
- Proto-Italic*kapjō
- Latincapiō
- Latinexcipiō
- Latinexceptiō
- Old Frenchexcepcion
- Anglo-Normanexcepcioun
- Middle Englishexception
- Englishexception
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
- Englishexceptional
Translations
Arabic اِسْتِثْنَائِيّ, اِسْتِثْنَائِيّ
- اِسْتِثْنَائِيّ (istiṯnāʔiyy)superior due to exception or rarity
- اِسْتِثْنَائِيّ (istiṯnāʔiyy)forming an exception
Bulgarian отли́чен, изключи́телен
- отли́чен (otlíčen)superior due to exception or rarity
- изключи́телен (izključítelen)superior due to exception or rarity
- изключи́телен (izključítelen)forming an exception
Catalan excepcional, excepcional
- excepcionalsuperior due to exception or rarity
- excepcionalforming an exception
Chinese Mandarin 優越 /优越, 傑出 /杰出
- 優越 /优越 (yōuyuè)superior due to exception or rarity
- 傑出 /杰出 (jiéchū)superior due to exception or rarity
- 優異 /优异 (yōuyì)superior due to exception or rarity
- 非凡 (fēifán)superior due to exception or rarity
- 超群 (chāoqún)superior due to exception or rarity
- 異常 /异常 (yìcháng)forming an exception
- 特異 /特异 (tèyì)forming an exception
- 特殊 (tèshū)forming an exception
- 特別 /特别 (tèbié)forming an exception
- 例外 (lìwài)forming an exception
Czech výjimečný, výjimečný
- výjimečnýsuperior due to exception or rarity
- výjimečnýforming an exception
Danish enestående, eksceptionel
- eneståendesuperior due to exception or rarity
- eksceptionelsuperior due to exception or rarity
- eksceptionelforming an exception
- ganske særligforming an exception
- ekstraordinærforming an exception
Dutch buitengewoon, exceptioneel
- buitengewoonforming an exception
- exceptioneelforming an exception
- uitzonderlijkforming an exception
Esperanto escepta
- esceptaforming an exception
Finnish poikkeuksellinen, erinomainen
- poikkeuksellinensuperior due to exception or rarity
- erinomainensuperior due to exception or rarity
- poikkeuksellinenforming an exception
- harvinainenforming an exception
- tavatonforming an exception
French exceptionnel, exceptionnel
- exceptionnelsuperior due to exception or rarity
- exceptionnelforming an exception
German außergewöhnlich, außergewöhnlich
- außergewöhnlichsuperior due to exception or rarity
- außergewöhnlichforming an exception
Greek εξαιρετικός, εξαιρετικός
- εξαιρετικός (exairetikós)superior due to exception or rarity
- εξαιρετικός (exairetikós)forming an exception
Hebrew מְצֻיָּן
- מְצֻיָּן (metzuyyán)superior due to exception or rarity
Hungarian kivételes, rendkívüli
- kivételessuperior due to exception or rarity
- rendkívülisuperior due to exception or rarity
- kivételesforming an exception
- rendkívüliforming an exception
Irish eisceachtúil, eisceachtúil
- eisceachtúilsuperior due to exception or rarity
- eisceachtúilforming an exception
Italian eccezionale, eccezionale
- eccezionalesuperior due to exception or rarity
- eccezionaleforming an exception
Japanese 並外れた, 別格の
- 並外れた (namihazureta)superior due to exception or rarity
- 別格の (bekkaku no)superior due to exception or rarity
- 非凡な (hibon na)superior due to exception or rarity
- 特殊な (tokushu na)forming an exception
- 特異な (tokui na)forming an exception
- 特別な (tokubetsu na)forming an exception
- 例外的な (reigaiteki na)forming an exception
Latin eximius, eximius
- eximiussuperior due to exception or rarity
- eximiusforming an exception
Māori inati
- inatisuperior due to exception or rarity
Norwegian Bokmål eksepsjonell, eksepsjonell
- eksepsjonellsuperior due to exception or rarity
- eksepsjonellforming an exception
Polish wyjątkowy, wyjątkowy
- wyjątkowysuperior due to exception or rarity
- wyjątkowyforming an exception
Portuguese excepcional, excecional
- excepcionalsuperior due to exception or rarity
- excecionalsuperior due to exception or rarity
- excepcionalforming an exception
- excecionalforming an exception
Russian исключи́тельный, отли́чный
- исключи́тельный (isključítelʹnyj)superior due to exception or rarity
- отли́чный (otlíčnyj)superior due to exception or rarity
- исключи́тельный (isključítelʹnyj)forming an exception
Scottish Gaelic air leth, air leth
- air lethsuperior due to exception or rarity
- air lethforming an exception
Slovak výnimočný
- výnimočnýforming an exception
Spanish excepcional, excepcional
- excepcionalsuperior due to exception or rarity
- excepcionalforming an exception
Turkish istisnai
- istisnaiforming an exception
Ukrainian винятко́вий, відмі́нний
- винятко́вий (vynjatkóvyj)superior due to exception or rarity
- відмі́нний (vidmínnyj)superior due to exception or rarity
- винятко́вий (vynjatkóvyj)forming an exception
Cite this entry
exceptional. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/exceptional
“exceptional.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/exceptional. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “exceptional,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/exceptional.
Source: exceptional on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.