Exceptionals

Part of speech: adjective, noun

Definitions

  1. Something that is remarkably different from the norm or standard; a category that encompasses individuals or things that stand out due to superior qualities or achievements; instances that significantly deviate from expected patterns or behaviors in a notable manner
  2. An entity characterized by unusual excellence or uniqueness that distinguishes it from the ordinary; subjects who possess extraordinary skills or attributes that set them apart from the average; occurrences that break the rule or threshold, making them notable exceptions in various contexts
  3. Referring to items or individuals that exemplify outstanding traits that are not commonly found; members of a group who have exceptional capabilities or attributes that elevate them beyond typical standards; cases that represent significant deviations from established norms or regularities

Etymology: "Exceptionals" is the plural of "exceptional," an adjective that became a noun in its own right. The adjective is built from "exception" plus the suffix "-al," which turns a noun into an adjective meaning "relating to" or "characterised by." So an exceptional thing is one that relates to, or is characterised by, an exception. The root of "exception" is the Latin verb "excipere," meaning "to take out" or "to take from," formed from "ex" ("out") and "capere" ("to take"). Its past participle "exceptus" gave rise to the Latin noun "exceptio," meaning "an exclusion" or "a taking out." That noun passed into Old French as "excepcion" and then into Middle English as "exception," so the core idea is literally something taken out of a general rule. English then added "-al" to make "exceptional," and later the plural form "exceptionals" emerged for groups of people or things that stand out. The original image of carving something out of a rule survives in the modern sense: an exceptional item is one picked out from the ordinary run of things.

Synonyms: outstanding, extraordinary, remarkable, unique, notable

Antonyms: ordinary, common, typical, usual, average