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Incredible

adj. joyful, energetic everyday

What it means

Meaning 1

So unusually good, large, or striking that it prompts delighted disbelief.

Reach for it when using enthusiastic everyday praise for an experience or achievement

The youth orchestra produced an incredible richness of sound in the stone hall.

Meaning 2

Too unlikely or unsupported to be readily believed.

Reach for it when describing a claim whose credibility is genuinely in doubt

The witness offered an incredible account that contradicted the time-stamped records.

Words to choose between 7

By register, from playful at the top to literary at the bottom, and by meaning across. Tap a word to see when it fits.
Meaning 1Meaning 2
playful
everyday
warm
professional
formal
  • Incredible (this word)

Meaning 1: So unusually good, large, or striking that it prompts delighted disbelief.

  • playful

    fabulous

    Fits when bright informal praise suits the audience

    Careful Fabulous may sound camp or superficial when the achievement is serious.

  • playful

    phenomenal

    Fits when high-energy praise fits exceptional performance

    Careful Phenomenal sounds inflated in a restrained or intimate context.

  • everyday

    amazing

    Fits when friendly enthusiasm and surprise are wanted

    Careful Amazing is heavily used and may sound automatic rather than considered.

  • warm

    wonderful

    Fits when pleasure and appreciation matter more than astonishment

    Careful Wonderful can praise a gentle experience that is not incredible.

  • professional

    extraordinary

    Fits when the result departs greatly from ordinary standards

    Careful Extraordinary is restrained observation and may omit the speaker's delight.

Meaning 2: Too unlikely or unsupported to be readily believed.

  • everyday

    unbelievable

    Fits when literal or expressive disbelief is the point

    Careful Unbelievable is more ambiguous between praise and distrust.

  • professional

    implausible

    Fits when the evidence does not support the claim's likelihood

    Careful Implausible is analytical and lacks incredible's stronger rejection.

Opposites 3

Common phrases 3

  • incredible achievement

    Completing the tunnel by hand was an incredible achievement.

  • incredible opportunity

    The residency gave six young artists an incredible opportunity to collaborate.

  • incredible claim

    The editor requested evidence for the incredible claim about the site's age.

Word family 1

Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Naomi Persephone Amethyst, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 Updated