EXCELS Synonyms: 56 Similar and Opposite Words

excels

verb

present tense third-person singular of excel

as in surpasses

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

loses (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 excels Foldables have always targeted productivity power users and media enthusiasts who thrive on multitasking and a large-screen canvas—areas where the Duo excels without compromise. — Eric Zeman, PC Magazine, 21 Oct. 2026 The Chinese system excels at deploying subsidies on both the demand and the supply sides to manufacture at industrial scale in whatever sector Beijing targets. — Niall Ferguson, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2026 Dolan really excels here, as do the actors who play the survivors. — The Week Uk, TheWeek, 16 Oct. 2026 Baylor also excels in forcing mistakes, as the Bears rank second in the Big 12 in opponent penalties per game and have forced 10 turnovers this season. — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Oct. 2026 While uptight Elinor excels at hiding her feelings for the similarly taciturn Edward, Marianne goes wild (nearly feral, really) when new neighbor Willoughby saves her from physical injury (literally sweeping her off her feet and a wincing ankle). — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 14 Oct. 2026 Tory Burch excels at activating her frow-goers, dispatching content creators like Tefi Pessoa and Kennedy Eurich as correspondents, who saturate social media with guest interviews and interactions. — Joan Kennedy, Vogue, 12 Oct. 2026 The Brewers have won back-to-back one-run games against a team that typically excels at winning them. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026 The country excels in winemaking from many small, family-run estates. — Bill St. John, Denver Post, 25 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for excels

Verb

Tarrant County saw a dip in early voters on Wednesday, but the number of people turning out locally still surpasses Texas’ last midterm election.

— Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Oct. 2026
Brady, who has 187 regular-season victories, surpasses Hall of Famer Brett Favre (186) and Peyton Manning (186) for the most regular-season victories by a starting quarterback in NFL history.

— Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of surpasses

Verb

On the mound for Milwaukee was Misiorowski, a beanstalk of a pitcher whose fastball routinely exceeds a hundred and three miles per hour.

— Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
The panel exceeds 100% sRGB, as many OLED monitors do, which can occasionally result in an overblown image.

— Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of exceeds

Browse Nearby Words

excelling

excels

except

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Style

“Excels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/excels. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of excels

verb

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