excel
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excel¹
- /ɪkˈsɛl/
- /ɛkˈsɛl/
Where it comes from
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.
verb excels · excelling · excelled
-
To surpass someone or something; to be better or do better than someone or something.
I excelled everyone else with my exam results.
Similar: better, outclass, outperform, bear away the bell, best, overtake, dwarf, eclipse, exceed, excel, hold the cards, outdo
- To do much better than usual. Everyone agreed Magnus really excelled himself this tournament.
- To be much better than others. But it is as a destroyer of grasshoppers that the dickcissel excels.
-
To exceed, to go beyond.
She opened; but to shut / Excelled her power: the gates wide open stood […]
Similar: exceed, overstep, surpass, transgress, transcend, excel, forpass, go beyond, breach, cap, outreach, outcompass
Similar: bang, devour, eat, eat and leave no crumbs, excel, go hard, kick, kick ass, rock, rule, shine, slap, slay · Opposite: choke, fail, go soft, misperform, stink, suck, underachieve, underperform
Excel²
- /ɪkˈsɛl/
- /ɛkˈsɛl/
Rhymes with -ɛl
Where it comes from
From excel. The name was selected in 1984 by Microsoft after being submitted by a branch manager and is thought to convey superiority over other spreadsheet programs, especially then dominant Lotus 1-2-3.
proper noun
- Microsoft Excel, a spreadsheet application software program written and distributed by Microsoft. “Do you know Excel?” ¶ “No.” ¶ “Could you learn?” ¶ “Probably not. I find it very difficult to learn things I don't already know.” Then, remembering the advice that I try to sell myself, I added, “But I'm sure I'd pick it up eventually.”
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: surpass, stand out, outperform, outdo, exceed, outstrip, thrive, excellent, excellence, outshine, shine, excellency, axle, excell, calculation, cap
Translations
Every language
verb transitive: to surpass someone or something
| Español | aventajar, superar, bordar |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 뛰어나다 ttwieonada |
| 日本語 | 超える koeru, 越える koeru, 秀でる hiideru |
| 中文 | 勝過 /胜过 shèngguò, 優於 /优于 yōuyú, 超越 chāoyuè |
| Português | superar, ultrapassar, exceler |
| Français | surpasser |
| Deutsch | ausstechen, übersteigen, übertreffen |
| Italiano | superare |
| Русский | превосходи́ть prevosxodítʹ, превзойти́ prevzojtí |
| العربية | تَفَوَّقَ tafawwaqa, بَزَّ bazza, اِمْتَازَ imtāza, فَاقَ fāqa |
verb intransitive: to be much better than others
| Español | sobresalir, distinguirse, destacarse, lucirse, llevarse la palma, llevarse la joya |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 탁월하다 tagwolhada |
| 日本語 | 超える koeru, 越える koeru, 卓越する takuetsu suru |
| 中文 | 擅長 /擅长 shàncháng |
| Português | distinguir-se |
| Français | exceller |
| Deutsch | sich hervortun, herausragend sein |
| Italiano | superare, eccellere, brillare, primeggiare, spiccare |
| Русский | выделя́ться vydeljátʹsja, отлича́ться otličátʹsja |
| العربية | بَرَعَ baraʕa |
| עברית | הצטיין hitztayén |
name Microsoft spreadsheet software
| עברית | אקסל eksél |
|---|
Talk about this word "excel." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/excel. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. excel. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/excel "excel." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/excel.Cite this
@misc{excel_2026,
title = {excel},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/excel},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
