incredibly

[ in-kred-uh-blee ]

adverb

1. in a way that is extraordinary, seemingly impossible, or difficult to believe; incredulously:

   Incredibly, we have already raised $750.

2. very; extremely:

   Your hair will be left incredibly soft, supple, and shiny.

   I found the incredibly uncomfortable seats a real distraction—tall people beware.

Usage Note

Incredibly and, somewhat less commonly, incredulously can both be used to mean “unbelievably,” as in It was an incredulously/incredibly expensive flight. They both share the roots of in, meaning “not,” and crēdere, meaning “to believe,” so this shared meaning of “not able to be believed” is rooted in their etymology. Beware, however: they both also have other senses that are not synonyms. Incredibly can mean “very” or “extremely,” but incredulously is not used that way: This is an incredibly exciting moment for me. Incredulously can mean “disbelievingly,” but incredibly is not used that way: She stared at the painting incredulously, skeptical of its veracity .

Word History and Origins

Origin of incredibly¹

First recorded in 1500–10; incredib(le) ( def ) + -ly ( def )

Example Sentences

One was his debut, “Boxcar Sessions,” an incredibly left-of-center release that was still definitely rooted in hip-hop, though it still sounded light-years ahead of its time.

From Los Angeles Times

Baroness Foster, the former first minister, said Mr Reid's death was “incredibly sad news”.

From BBC

"The next day we were told by our friends in Spain that this was actually a very racist song. We found it incredibly offensive."

From BBC

“Suddenly, instead of being an awkward teenager, she just looks incredibly, magnificently gorgeous.”

From Los Angeles Times

He acknowledged that stopping people-smuggling gangs was "an incredibly complex and challenging problem" but said he was aiming to disrupt their business models.

From BBC

Related Words

• especially
• fabulously
• strangely
• uncommonly