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Superlative vs Excellent - What's the difference?

superlative | excellent |

As adjectives the difference between superlative and excellent

is that superlative is exceptionally good; of the highest quality; superb while excellent is of the highest quality; splendid.

As a noun superlative

is the highest extent or degree of something.

As an adverb excellent is

excellently.

superlative

English

(wikipedia superlative)

Noun

(en noun)
  • The highest extent or degree of something.
  • (label) The form of an adjective that expresses which of more than two items has the highest degree of the quality expressed by the adjective; in English, formed by appending "-est" to the end of the adjective (for some short adjectives only) or putting "most" before it.
  • (label) An adjective used to praise something exceptional.

    • Synonyms

    * (highest degree) acme, peak

    Related terms

    * superlative degree

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Exceptionally good; of the highest quality; superb.
  • (grammar) Of or relating to a superlative.

    • Usage notes

    Rather formal, reflecting its Latin etymology; more colloquial alternatives include exceptional, fabulous, above and beyond, and others.

    Synonyms

    * (exceptionally good) above and beyond, exceptional, extraordinary, superb

    See also

    * absolute * comparative * elative ----

    excellent

    English

    (wikipedia excellent)

    Adjective

    (en-adj)
  • Of the highest quality; splendid.
  • *
  • *:A great bargain also had been the excellent Axminster carpet which covered the floor; as, again, the arm-chair in which Bunting now sat forward, staring into the dull, small fire.
  • Exceptionally good of its kind.
  • *{{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=July-August, author= Catherine Clabby
    • , magazine=(American Scientist), title= Focus on Everything , passage=Not long ago, it was difficult to produce photographs of tiny creatures with every part in focus. That’s because the lenses that are excellent at magnifying tiny subjects produce a narrow depth of field. A photo processing technique called focus stacking has changed that.}}
  • Superior in kind or degree, irrespective of moral quality.
  • *(David Hume) (1711-1776)
  • *:an excellent hypocrite
  • *(Beaumont and Fletcher) (1603-1625)
  • *:Their sorrows are most excellent .

    • Synonyms

    * See also

    Derived terms

    * excellence * excellently * excellentness

    Adverb

    (en adverb)
  • (obsolete) Excellently.
  • *, New York Review Books 2001, p.287:
    • Lucian, in his tract de Mercede conductis , hath excellent well deciphered such men's proceedings in his picture of Opulentia […].

    Statistics

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