exceptionally.

1. To an unusually high degree.

2. As an exception to an ordinary rule or practice.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• exceptionally clear
• exceptionally large

On the page

The explanation was exceptionally clear compared with the earlier drafts.

The exceptionally large difference required a check of the measurement scale.

Usage notes

Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: Invariable adverb; use more or most only where natural. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: institutional and conceptual change, philosophical orientation, qualification of recurrence and degree. Disciplines: academic writing, philosophy, cross-disciplinary analysis. Commonness: moderately common.