Word.ws English Dictionary

in excelsis

UK/ˌɪn ɪkˈsɛlsɪs/

in excelsis adjective: to the highest degree; archetypal, quintessential.

Adjective

in excelsis (not comparable)

  1. (postpositional) To the highest degree; archetypal, quintessential.
    • […] it was impossible to believe that one mind directed the singer and another the pianist, and if the voice was an example of art in excelsis, not less exalted was the perfection of the player.1916, E. F. Benson, Michael
    • It can only be AC/DC: black black black! with the first single from their first new album in eight years, Black Ice. It's blues-metal heaviosity in exelcis^([sic]).2008 September 14, Craig McLean, “Rock review: AC/DC, Rock 'n' Roll Train”, in The Observer

Origin of in excelsis

Borrowed from Ecclesiastical Latin in excelsīs (“on high, in the highest”), as in the Gloria.

Questions about in excelsis

What does in excelsis mean?
In excelsis means to the highest degree; archetypal, quintessential.
What part of speech is in excelsis?
In excelsis is an adjective.
How do you pronounce in excelsis?
In excelsis is pronounced /ˌɪn ɪkˈsɛlsɪs/ (UK).

Words near in excelsis in the dictionary

  1. in esse
  2. in essence
  3. in every way
  4. in everything but name
  5. in evidence
  6. in excelsis
  7. in excess of
  8. in exchange
  9. in exchange for
  10. in executivis
  11. in existence

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: in excelsis (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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