ENGLISH
REFERENCE

incredible

adj.
A2 Elementary Oxford US //ˌɪnˈkɹɛdəbəɫ// UK //ɪnkɹˈɛdɪbəl// in·cred·i·ble General-service

adj. extremely good, large, or surprising. You use it when something is so amazing that it is hard to believe.

adj. extraordinary or difficult to believe due to its extreme nature or quality. Often used as a hyperbolic intensifier for positive attributes.


SIMPLE

The view from the top of the mountain is incredible.

CONTEXTUAL

The young athlete showed incredible talent during her first professional match last night.

COMPLEX

The speed of the technological transition was truly incredible, transforming the entire industry in less than a decade and rendering previous methods obsolete.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

From Middle English incredible, from Latin incrēdibilis (“that cannot be believed”), from in- (“not”) + crēdibilis (“worthy of belief”), from crēdō (“believe”), equivalent to in- + credible.

Usage

Typically functions as a gradable adjective, though in its literal sense of 'impossible to believe,' it can act as non-gradable.

Pitfall

It was an incredible difficult taskIt was an incredibly difficult taskLearners often use the adjective form instead of the adverb 'incredibly' to modify another adjective.

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