An incredibly synonym can do two quite separate things. Before an adjective, as in incredibly fast, it means to a huge degree, so extremely, remarkably or exceptionally will do. At the front of a sentence, as in Incredibly, nobody was hurt, it means hard to believe, so amazingly, astonishingly or miraculously fit better.
Writers overuse it because it feels lively, and after the third one it stops working. The sections below give you replacements ranked by force, essay-friendly options and natural word pairs. The adjective lives on incredible synonyms.
Swatch at a glance
Best swaps
extremely, remarkably, exceptionally, amazingly, unbelievablyPart of speech
Adverb (from incredible)Most formal
exceptionally, remarkably, extraordinarilyMost casual
super, insanely, crazyStrongest
unbelievably, staggeringly, phenomenallyAntonyms
slightly, barely, somewhatWatch out
Insanely and crazy are slang boosters. Some readers find them careless in formal work.
Very, remarkably, extremely: the force scale
Boosters sit on a ladder. Very is the plain default and the mildest swap. Remarkably adds that the level is worth noticing. Exceptionally says it stands well above the usual. Extremely pushes close to the limit. Unbelievably claims the level is beyond belief.
Incredibly sits near the top beside extremely, so if your sentence only needs very, drop down a step. Saving the strong rung keeps it powerful when you need it.
Every incredibly synonym, grouped by use
| Use | Swaps | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Booster before an adjective | extremely, exceptionally, immensely, hugely | The exam was exceptionally hard. |
| Sentence opener, surprise | amazingly, astonishingly, miraculously | Astonishingly, the cake survived the drive. |
| Praise | wonderfully, superbly, phenomenally | The choir sang superbly. |
| Rare or odd | unusually, uncommonly, strikingly | It was unusually warm for March. |
| Chat and texts | super, insanely, so | That ride was super fun. |
Sentence fixes
- The view was incredibly beautiful becomes the view was breathtaking; one strong adjective can replace the pair.
- He was incredibly tired becomes he was utterly exhausted.
- Incredibly, the dog found its way home becomes miraculously, the dog found its way home.
- The team worked incredibly hard becomes the team worked tirelessly.
- This is incredibly important becomes this is vital.
- Prices rose incredibly fast becomes prices rose at a staggering pace.
A product review draft: "Incredibly light, incredibly quiet, incredibly cheap." The edited line: "Feather-light, whisper-quiet and surprisingly cheap." The vivid compound adjectives do the boosting, and surprisingly tells the reader the price was unexpected.
Natural pairs that sound fluent
English likes certain adverbs with certain adjectives. Using the expected partner sounds polished:
- deeply moved, grateful, concerned
- highly skilled, likely, recommended
- bitterly cold, disappointed
- utterly exhausted, ridiculous
- vastly different, improved
- painfully slow, shy
These pairings let you say incredibly without the word. A highly skilled nurse sounds better than an incredibly skilled one in a report.
Essays, emails and conversation
In essays, many teachers mark intensifiers as filler. Prefer exceptionally or remarkably, or better still, give the number: the river rose four meters overnight. In work emails, extremely and very are safe; save unbelievably for good news. In casual talk, super, so and crazy are fine. More boosters are on extremely synonyms and very synonyms.
Softeners that pull the other way
To lower the volume, use slightly, somewhat, mildly or a little. To say almost not at all, use barely or hardly. When the sentence opener meant surprise, its opposite is predictably or as expected.
- The soup was slightly salty.
- Predictably, the bus was late again.
Adverbs of this family also appear in transition and linking words.
Frequently asked questions
Which incredibly swaps suit formal writing?
Exceptionally and remarkably are the safest formal options. Extraordinarily is also formal but long, so use it sparingly.
Does incredibly beat very for strength?
Yes. Very is neutral, while incredibly suggests the level is surprising or almost hard to believe.
Does incredibly work as a sentence opener?
Yes, when you mean that a fact is surprising: incredibly, the vase did not break. In that position, amazingly or astonishingly are good swaps.
How can I avoid overusing incredibly in an essay?
Replace the adverb and adjective pair with one stronger adjective, such as huge instead of incredibly big. Or add evidence, like a figure, that shows the size.
Which slang words mean incredibly?
Super, so, crazy and insanely are common in speech. Keep them for friends and social posts.
What is the antonym of incredibly?
Slightly, barely and somewhat lower the degree instead of raising it. As a sentence opener, predictably is the reverse.