Synonyms for excel

verb

surpass, transcend, improve upon, exceed, go beyond, outdo, outshine, be superior, stand out, shine, have a flair for, have a bent for, have a good head for, have an eye for, have an ear for; see also exceed.

excel implies superiority in some quality, skill, achievement, etc. over all or over the one (or ones) specified to excel at chess, excels her brothers in math; surpass implies a going beyond (someone or something specified) in degree, amount, or quality no one surpasses him in generosity; transcend suggests a surpassing to an extreme degree, even beyond human capability or standards a faith that transcends all understanding; outdo implies a going beyond someone else or a previous record in performance he will not be outdone in bravery

See excel in American Heritage Dictionary 4 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.

See excel in Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus II

verb

To be greater or better than:

best, better¹, exceed, outdo, outmatch, outrun, outshine, outstrip, pass, surpass, top, transcend. (Informal) beat. Idioms: go beyond, go one better. See big

Learn more about excel

» excel definition

» EXCEL abbreviations & acronyms

» Excel computer definition

» excel sentence examples

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Synonyms for excel

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