exceptional

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɪkˈsɛpʃənəl/^[1]

Etymology

It is from exception with the suffix -al,^[2][3] after French exceptionnel.^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Forming an exception, out of the ordinary, unusual: 1787 in Merriam-Webster, 1828 in Etymonline, 1846 in the OED.^[4][2][5]

Semantic evolution

Exceptionalness is from 1886.^[5] Exceptionalism, the quality of being exceptional, usually implying superiority, is attested from 1864,^[2] and the phrase American exceptionalism by 1929, at first among communists, about whether the United States is subject to the general laws of history.^[2] Well above average, extraordinary, and of children deviating from the norm in ability, are modern senses.^[6][7]

Timeline

• 1787 – first known use.^[4]
• 1828 – unusual.^[2]
• 1864 – exceptionalism.^[2]
• 1929 – American exceptionalism.^[2]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Forming an exception; unusual.
2. Well above average; extraordinary.
3. Deviating widely from the norm in physical or mental ability.

Word family

• exceptionality
• exceptionalness
• exceptionally
• nonexceptional
• unexceptional
• exceptionalism

Related words

• exception
• except

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
5. ^ a b Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
7. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins