Exceptional is often used as praise: "Roger Federer is an exceptional tennis player."
Something exceptional is something that is out of the ordinary or normal . This adjective , therefore, is used to refer to what is extraordinary or what is an exception .
For example: "Lionel Messi is an exceptional footballer that every coach wants to have on his team " , "The concert was exceptional: the band reviewed their best-known songs in a three-hour show" , "In the face of the crisis, the monarch offered the first exceptional speech of his reign .
Exceptional as a positive rating
Many times the concept of exceptional is used as a positive qualifier to define something or someone wonderful, fantastic or wonderful. A sports journalist, in this sense, can point out Roger Federer as an exceptional tennis player . This is due to the talent that the Swiss athlete shows when playing and the achievements he has obtained throughout his career.
In a similar sense, a film critic can claim that a film is exceptional because, at least in his opinion , all its components are outstanding and fit together perfectly. The specialist liked the performances, the direction, the script and the rest of the various aspects that make up the film: that is why he did not hesitate to define it as exceptional.
Someone or something exceptional is extraordinary: it is out of the ordinary.
Something out of the ordinary
The exceptional is also that which escapes the common or routine . Suppose that, in a club , a monthly meeting is usually held to discuss different topics. However, in a certain month, a certain event leads the board of directors to call an exceptional assembly : that is, an extra meeting to discuss the event in question.
This last example is, in fact, the one that most accurately responds to the true meaning of the term exceptional , since there is no naturally positive nuance in it. However, in everyday speech, and as the situations explained in the previous paragraphs clearly demonstrate, we do use it to describe beings with unusual virtues or creations with an almost perfect finish, among other possibilities.
Exceptional and rare
In this sense, we can say that the exceptional is rare ; The Royal Spanish Academy's own dictionary uses this same word to explain that exceptional things happen "rarely." Of course, if we call a person exceptional, everyone will understand that we admire them, while if we call them rare , more information will be needed to know if we are despising them or praising them.
This difference has more to do with the receiver than with the sender, and is directly linked to cultural factors: within the same society, there are people who accept the concept of rarity as something positive, or at least potentially positive, while others relegate it. to negative issues. In general, the higher the level of education, the greater the acceptance of differences, the greater openness to change and the incorporation of the strange in one's life to broaden one's horizons.
There are certain areas in which it is not possible to interchange these two terms, at least not without modifying the message considerably; For example, saying "this food is exceptional" is not the same as saying "this food is rare ." Although the sender's intention may be the same, the meaning of the second sentence is more difficult to deduce, since at first glance it gives the impression that he did not like the food, probably because it is a dish with ingredients or with a way of preparation to which I was not accustomed; An exceptional dish, on the other hand, is always one that leaves us satisfied like few others, and we label it this way to recommend it to our friends and family.