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 At a school that excels in many different sports, the Wolverines rose to the top. —

Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2026 China’s Jiuzhang, though, is a highly specialized quantum computer and excels only in specialized tasks such as Gaussian boson sampling. —

Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 15 May 2026 The 6-foot-2, 205-pound King also excels at holding runners on base and has not committed an error in 13 appearances. —

Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 May 2026 Fall, late winter, or early spring Crimson clover is a cool-season annual in the legume family that excels at fixing nitrogen in the soil. —

Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 9 May 2026 While activewear is the brand’s bread and butter, Patagonia also excels at crafting high-quality outdoor gear as well—and the Fieldsmith Hip Pack is a brand staple. —

Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 8 May 2026 The Central Michigan commit also excels defensively at an all-important position. —

Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2026 QuickBooks Workforce excels in numerous areas, including AI innovations, payroll and HR management, support resources, reports, and time tracking. —

Kathy Yakal, PC Magazine, 6 May 2026 OpenAI’s tool particularly excels at creating fake screenshots. —

Lila Shroff, The Atlantic, 2 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for excels

Verb

With a cast drawn from comedy-scene friends such as Kate Berlant and Conner O’Malley all tuned into a very specific wavelength, the movie somehow surpasses conventional notions of camp and irony to exist in a genuinely unique space all its own.

— Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
Criminologists point out that society can create a narrative — whether based on reality or an exaggeration of it — that dominates culture and surpasses the motives of one person.

— Lorena O’Neil, Rolling Stone, 11 May 2026