Excel Meaning
/ɪkˈsɛl/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo surpass someone or something; to be better or do better than someone or something.
verbTo be much better than others.
Sentence Examples
I have attached a Microsoft Excel file.
Australians excel at sports and entertainment.
She began to excel in the Berber language.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
She hopes to ____ in her final mathematics exam.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
With dedicated practice and focus, she began to ____ in her chosen field of gymnastics.
Word Origin & History
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.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"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:
"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:
"But it is as a destroyer of grasshoppers that the dickcissel excels."
— 1901, Sylvester D. Judd, The Relation of Sparrows to Agriculture, page 91:
"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:
"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:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
She hopes to ____ in her final mathematics exam.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
With dedicated practice and focus, she began to ____ in her chosen field of gymnastics.