Synonyms for Incredible (adjective) (/ɪnˈkred.ə.bəl/) include extremely good, impressive, extraordinary, or so unusual that it is hard to believe. Cambridge and Collins both recognize these two main senses.
The best synonym depends on what you mean. For praise, use words such as amazing, extraordinary, remarkable, outstanding, breathtaking, or phenomenal. For something hard to believe, use unbelievable, implausible, improbable, inconceivable, or far-fetched.
What Are Synonyms for Incredible?
The closest synonyms for incredible include amazing, extraordinary, remarkable, astonishing, astounding, unbelievable, wonderful, impressive, phenomenal, and breathtaking.
But incredible has two important meanings:
- Positive: extremely good, impressive, or extraordinary.
- Doubtful: difficult or impossible to believe.
- For an incredible person, try remarkable, extraordinary, exceptional, outstanding, admirable, or phenomenal.
- For an incredible experience, try amazing, unforgettable, extraordinary, breathtaking, unforgettable, or astonishing.
- For formal writing, use extraordinary, remarkable, exceptional, astonishing, or significant, depending on the exact meaning.
- For slang or casual English, options include awesome, rad, mega, dope, sick, and ace, but these are not suitable for every audience. Collins specifically labels several such alternatives as informal or slang.
Direct Synonyms for Incredible by Meaning
| Synonym | Specific Meaning | Synonym | Specific Meaning |
| Amazing | Extremely surprising or impressive | Extraordinary | Far beyond what is usual |
| Remarkable | Worthy of attention or praise | Astonishing | Causing great surprise |
| Astounding | Extremely surprising or impressive | Wonderful | Extremely good or pleasing |
| Phenomenal | Exceptionally impressive or successful | Exceptional | Unusually excellent or distinctive |
| Outstanding | Clearly better than ordinary | Breathtaking | So impressive it inspires awe |
| Stunning | Extremely impressive or beautiful | Impressive | Causing admiration or respect |
| Magnificent | Grand, beautiful, or excellent | Spectacular | Dramatic and highly impressive |
| Sensational | Extremely exciting or impressive | Fantastic | Extremely good or exciting |
| Brilliant | Excellent, impressive, or clever | Superb | Of very high quality |
| Awe-inspiring | Creating strong wonder or admiration | Unbelievable | So unusual it seems impossible |
| Implausible | Difficult to accept as true | Improbable | Unlikely to be true or happen |
| Inconceivable | Impossible to imagine or accept | Unthinkable | Too extreme to consider |
| Far-fetched | Very unlikely or difficult to believe | Preposterous | Absurd or extremely unreasonable |
| Absurd | Clearly unreasonable or illogical | Unimaginable | Difficult or impossible to imagine |
The distinction between the two senses is important. Cambridge lists amazing, astonishing, astounding, extraordinary, and related words for the impressive sense, while its thesaurus also lists unbelievable, implausible, inconceivable, and far-fetched for the hard-to-believe sense.
Where Incredible Comes From
Parts of Speech: Adjective
Syllables: in-cre-di-ble
Origin: From Latin incredibilis, meaning “not to be believed,” from in- meaning “not” + credibilis, meaning “worthy of belief.” The word entered English in the late Middle English period.
Prefix/Suffix Breakdown: in- = “not” + cred = “believe” + -ible = “capable of being.” The root cred comes from Latin credere, “to believe.”
Incredible Meaning and Word Family
Incredible can describe something that is extremely good, very unusual, or hard to believe.
Its main word family includes:
- Incredible — adjective
- Incredibly — adverb
- Incredibility — noun
- Incredibleness — noun
- Incredulous — adjective, meaning unwilling or unable to believe something
Dictionary sources list incredibly, incredibility, and incredibleness as related forms.
Positive Synonyms for Incredible
When incredible means “extremely good” or “very impressive,” these are the most useful alternatives.
Amazing (/əˈmeɪ.zɪŋ/)
Meaning: Extremely surprising, impressive, or good.
- We had an amazing time at the concert.
- She gave an amazing performance.
Extraordinary (/ɪkˈstrɔːr.dən.er.i/)
Meaning: Very unusual, special, or far beyond normal.
- She showed extraordinary courage.
- The museum has an extraordinary collection.
Remarkable (/rɪˈmɑːr.kə.bəl/)
Meaning: Unusual enough to deserve attention.
- He made a remarkable recovery.
- The team achieved remarkable results.
Astonishing (/əˈstɒn.ɪ.ʃɪŋ/)
Meaning: Causing strong surprise.
- The athlete showed astonishing speed.
- The final result was astonishing.
Astounding (/əˈstaʊn.dɪŋ/)
Meaning: Extremely surprising or impressive.
- She made an astounding discovery.
- The project achieved astounding growth.
Phenomenal (/fəˈnɒm.ɪ.nəl/)
Meaning: Exceptionally impressive or successful.
- The company saw phenomenal growth.
- He has a phenomenal talent for music.
Exceptional (/ɪkˈsep.ʃən.əl/)
Meaning: Much better or different than usual.
- She is an exceptional teacher.
- The restaurant offers exceptional service.
Outstanding (/aʊtˈstæn.dɪŋ/)
Meaning: Clearly excellent or better than others.
- She delivered an outstanding presentation.
- His work was outstanding.
Breathtaking (/ˈbreθˌteɪ.kɪŋ/)
Meaning: So beautiful or impressive that it inspires awe.
- The mountain view was breathtaking.
- They watched a breathtaking sunset.
Magnificent (/mæɡˈnɪf.ɪ.sənt/)
Meaning: Extremely beautiful, impressive, or grand.
- The palace has a magnificent interior.
- We saw a magnificent waterfall.
These positive alternatives align with current dictionary thesaurus groupings for the “amazing” sense of incredible.
Formal Synonyms for Incredible
For formal writing, avoid slang and choose a word that states the exact quality you mean.
Useful choices include:
- Extraordinary
- Remarkable
- Exceptional
- Astonishing
- Astounding
- Outstanding
- Phenomenal
- Impressive
- Significant
- Notable
Example
Instead of:
The researcher made an incredible discovery.
Use:
The researcher made an extraordinary discovery.
Or:
The researcher made a remarkable discovery.
Remarkable often sounds more measured than incredible, which can make it useful in professional and academic writing.
Another Word for Incredible Person
If you are describing an incredible person, the best word depends on the person’s quality.
For skill
- Exceptional
- Outstanding
- Brilliant
- Talented
- Gifted
- Accomplished
She is an exceptional engineer.
For character
- Admirable
- Remarkable
- Inspiring
- Extraordinary
- Compassionate
He is an admirable person who always helps others.
For overall excellence
- Phenomenal
- Exceptional
- Outstanding
- Extraordinary
She is an extraordinary leader.
Another Word for Incredible Man
For an incredible man, natural alternatives include:
- Remarkable man
- Extraordinary man
- Exceptional man
- Outstanding man
- Admirable man
- Phenomenal man
- Inspiring man
- Brilliant man
He is an extraordinary man who has helped many people.
He is an admirable man with strong values.
Another Word for Incredible Woman
For an incredible woman, use:
- Remarkable woman
- Extraordinary woman
- Exceptional woman
- Outstanding woman
- Inspiring woman
- Phenomenal woman
- Accomplished woman
- Brilliant woman
She is an exceptional woman and a respected leader.
She has had an extraordinary career.
Synonyms for an Incredible Experience
For an incredible experience, choose a word that describes the feeling or impact.
- Amazing experience
- Unforgettable experience
- Extraordinary experience
- Remarkable experience
- Memorable experience
- Breathtaking experience
- Astonishing experience
- Transformative experience
- Life-changing experience
- Phenomenal experience
Example:
The trip was an unforgettable experience.
Visiting the glacier was a breathtaking experience.
Unforgettable is not an exact synonym of incredible. It means something that is difficult to forget. It works when the lasting memory is the point.
Synonyms for Incredible Beauty
When incredible describes beauty, use more precise words:
- Breathtaking
- Stunning
- Magnificent
- Exquisite
- Spectacular
- Striking
- Radiant
- Mesmerizing
- Enchanting
- Awe-inspiring
The coastline has breathtaking beauty.
She wore an exquisite dress.
Breathtaking is especially useful when beauty creates a strong feeling of awe. Collins groups it with words such as amazing, stunning, magnificent, astonishing, and awe-inspiring.
Synonyms for an Incredible Movie
For an incredible movie, the best alternative depends on what you liked.
- Outstanding movie — emphasizes quality.
- Brilliant movie — emphasizes excellence or cleverness.
- Spectacular movie — emphasizes visual impact.
- Extraordinary movie — emphasizes unusual quality.
- Remarkable movie — emphasizes distinction.
- Stunning movie — emphasizes strong visual or emotional effect.
- Phenomenal movie — emphasizes exceptional overall impact.
- Breathtaking movie — emphasizes awe or visual beauty.
- Fantastic movie — casual praise.
- Unforgettable movie — emphasizes lasting impact.
It was a spectacular movie with stunning visuals.
Another Word for Incredible or Amazing
If you want one word that can replace both incredible and amazing, consider:
- Extraordinary
- Remarkable
- Astonishing
- Astounding
- Exceptional
- Phenomenal
- Wonderful
- Outstanding
- Impressive
- Spectacular
There is no single “strongest” word in every context. Phenomenal stresses exceptional quality, astonishing stresses surprise, breathtaking stresses awe, and remarkable stresses that something deserves attention.
What Is a Stronger Word Than Amazing?
Instead of simply searching for a “stronger” word, match the word to the kind of impact you mean.
- Astonishing — very surprising.
- Astounding — extremely surprising.
- Extraordinary — far outside the ordinary.
- Phenomenal — exceptionally impressive.
- Breathtaking — inspiring awe.
- Spectacular — dramatic and visually impressive.
- Awe-inspiring — creating wonder and admiration.
This is more precise than treating one word as universally stronger.
What Is Better Than Incredible?
There is no universal word that is objectively “better” than incredible. The right replacement depends on the message.
- For a professional tone, remarkable or exceptional may be more precise.
- For strong praise, phenomenal or outstanding may fit.
- For beauty, breathtaking may be more exact.
- For surprise, astonishing or astounding may be better.
- For something difficult to believe, use unbelievable, implausible, or inconceivable instead.
Slang Synonyms for Incredible
Some informal or slang alternatives include:
- Awesome
- Rad
- Mega
- Ace
- Dope
- Sick
- Def
- Fantastic
- Brill
- Eye-popping
Collins explicitly labels words such as mega, rad, def, ace, dope, and sick as slang or informal in its thesaurus.
What Is a Slang Word for Incredible?
For casual English, awesome, rad, mega, dope, or sick can express strong approval.
Examples:
That concert was awesome.
That new car is sick.
The new game is rad.
These choices suit casual speech, social media, and informal messages. They usually do not belong in academic or formal business writing.
Negative Words Related to Incredible
Incredible does not always express praise. It can also mean hard to believe.
In that sense, useful negative or skeptical alternatives include:
- Implausible
- Unbelievable
- Far-fetched
- Improbable
- Absurd
- Preposterous
- Inconceivable
- Questionable
- Unconvincing
- Unthinkable
Example
His explanation was incredible.
Depending on context, this could mean “amazing” or “not believable.”
To make the negative meaning clear:
- His explanation was implausible.
- His explanation was far-fetched.
- His explanation was unconvincing.
Collins and Cambridge both separate the “amazing” meaning from the “unbelievable” meaning.
Incredible vs. Incredulous
These words are easy to confuse.
Incredible describes something that is difficult to believe or something extremely impressive.
The story was incredible.
Incredulous describes a person who does not believe something.
She looked incredulous when she heard the story.
A simple rule:
Incredible = hard to believe.
Incredulous = unwilling or unable to believe.
Vocabulary.com specifically identifies this as a commonly confused pair.
Incredible vs. Unbelievable
These words overlap, but unbelievable more directly focuses on belief.
She gave an incredible performance.
Here, incredible means extremely impressive.
His excuse was unbelievable.
Here, unbelievable suggests that the excuse cannot be accepted as true.
Both can describe something surprising, but context determines whether the meaning is positive or skeptical.
Incredible vs. Amazing
Amazing usually focuses on surprise, admiration, or strong approval.
Incredible can do the same, but it also has the older and more literal sense of something being difficult to believe.
She gave an amazing performance.
She gave an incredible performance.
Both praise the performance.
But:
His story was incredible.
can mean either “extraordinary” or “hard to believe,” depending on context.
Incredible vs. Extraordinary
Extraordinary means far outside what is usual or ordinary.
Incredible can mean the same thing in praise, but it has the additional “hard to believe” sense.
She showed extraordinary courage.
She showed incredible courage.
Both work, but extraordinary is often more precise in formal writing.
When NOT to Use Incredible
Avoid incredible when a more precise word gives the reader better information.
Do not use it when you mean “credible”
Incredible does not mean “very credible.”
Use:
Credible evidence
not:
Incredible evidence
The second phrase can mean that the evidence is unbelievable.
Do not use it for every kind of praise
- If you mean beautiful, use breathtaking or exquisite.
- If you mean highly skilled, use exceptional or outstanding.
- If you mean memorable, use unforgettable.
- If you mean statistically unusual, use extraordinary or a precise numerical description.
Do not use slang in formal writing
Avoid rad, sick, dope, or mega in academic essays and most professional reports.
Do not confuse incredible with incredulous
One describes the thing being doubted. The other describes the person who doubts it.
Incredible in Formal Writing and Essays
For essays, research papers, and professional writing, choose a more exact word when possible.
Instead of:
The results were incredible.
Try:
- The results were remarkable.
- The results were statistically significant.
- The results were extraordinary.
- The results were unexpected.
The last three choices can provide more information than a general intensifier.
Incredible Synonyms for Creative Writing
Creative writing allows stronger imagery.
Useful choices include:
- Breathtaking
- Mesmerizing
- Awe-inspiring
- Spectacular
- Extraordinary
- Magnificent
- Enchanting
- Stunning
- Astounding
- Otherworldly
Example:
The valley opened beneath them, revealing a breathtaking landscape of snow-covered peaks.
This creates a clearer image than simply saying:
The valley was incredible.
Incredible Synonyms for a Resume
For a resume, avoid vague praise such as incredible. Use measurable or professional terms.
Instead of:
Incredible sales performance.
Use:
Outstanding sales performance
or:
Exceeded annual sales targets by 28%.
Instead of:
Incredible leadership skills.
Use:
Exceptional leadership skills
or:
Led a team of 15 employees through a major product launch.
Specific evidence usually communicates more than an intensifier.
What Is the Root Word of Incredible?
The main Latin root behind incredible is cred, from Latin credere, meaning “to believe.” The word developed through Latin incredibilis, meaning “not to be believed.”
The structure is:
in- + cred + -ible
- in- = not
- cred = believe
- -ible = capable of being
Related words include:
- credible
- credibility
- credulous
- incredulous
- incredibility
- incredibly
What Is the Base Word of Incredible?
The most useful base or root family is cred, meaning “believe.”
The related adjective credible means believable or worthy of belief. Adding in- creates the opposite idea in incredible: not believable or beyond belief.
Italian Word for Incredible
The Italian word for incredible is:
incredibile
It can mean extremely good, impressive, or difficult to believe, much like the English word. Cambridge gives incredibile as the Italian translation.
Example:
What an incredible view!
Che vista incredibile!
German Word for Incredible
Common German translations include:
unglaublich — unbelievable, incredible
unglaubhaft — not credible or difficult to believe
Cambridge gives both forms, with unglaublich used for “hard to believe” and unglaubhaft for “impossible to believe; not credible.”
Incredible Synonyms and Antonyms
The clearest antonyms depend on which meaning of incredible you are using.
Direct Antonyms
- Credible — capable of being believed.
The report came from a credible source. - Believable — easy enough to accept as true.
Her explanation was believable. - Ordinary — not unusual or exceptional.
It was an ordinary day. - Unremarkable — not worthy of special attention.
The results were unremarkable.
Cambridge lists credible, believable, unremarkable, ordinary, usual, and common as antonyms or opposites of incredible.
Operational and Contextual Opposites
- Usual — occurring normally.
The team followed its usual routine. - Common — occurring often or widely.
This is a common problem. - Typical — matching what normally happens.
The result was typical for this group. - Plausible — seeming reasonable or believable.
The explanation was plausible.
These are contextual opposites rather than exact dictionary opposites in every use.
Quick Context Guide
| If you mean… | Use… |
| Extremely good | Amazing, excellent, outstanding |
| Very unusual | Extraordinary, remarkable |
| Very surprising | Astonishing, astounding |
| Extremely successful | Phenomenal, outstanding |
| Very beautiful | Breathtaking, exquisite, stunning |
| Creates awe | Awe-inspiring, magnificent |
| Hard to believe | Unbelievable, implausible |
| Very unlikely | Improbable, far-fetched |
| Clearly unreasonable | Absurd, preposterous |
| Formal praise | Remarkable, exceptional, extraordinary |
| Casual praise | Awesome, fantastic, great |
| Slang | Rad, mega, dope, sick |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is another word for incredible?
Common alternatives include amazing, extraordinary, remarkable, astonishing, astounding, wonderful, exceptional, outstanding, phenomenal, and breathtaking. If incredible means difficult to believe, use unbelievable, implausible, improbable, or far-fetched instead.
What are five synonyms for amazing?
Five strong synonyms for amazing are incredible, astonishing, astounding, extraordinary, and remarkable. The best choice depends on whether you want to stress praise, surprise, rarity, or impact.
What is a word better than incredible?
There is no universally “better” word. More precise alternatives include phenomenal for exceptional performance, breathtaking for beauty, remarkable for something noteworthy, and astonishing for strong surprise.
What is a slang word for incredible?
Common informal or slang choices include awesome, rad, mega, dope, sick, ace, and def. Collins labels several of these as slang or informal.
What is the root word of incredible?
The root cred comes from Latin credere, meaning “to believe.” Incredible comes from Latin incredibilis, meaning “not to be believed.”
What is the difference between incredible and incredulous?
Incredible describes something that is difficult to believe or extremely impressive. Incredulous describes a person who is unwilling or unable to believe something.
What is the Italian word for incredible?
The Italian word is incredibile. It can describe something impressive or something difficult to believe.
What is the German word for incredible?
Common translations include unglaublich and unglaubhaft. The exact choice depends on whether you mean “incredible” as surprising or as not credible.
Conclusion
The best synonyms for incredible depend on its meaning: use amazing, remarkable, extraordinary, exceptional, or phenomenal for praise, and unbelievable, implausible, improbable, or far-fetched for something difficult to believe. For formal writing, choose precise words such as remarkable or exceptional, while awesome, rad, mega, and sick fit casual or slang contexts. For people, experiences, beauty, and creative writing, a more specific synonym often creates a stronger and clearer sentence than simply repeating incredible.
