extraordinary
Americanadjective
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beyond what is usual, ordinary, regular, or established.
extraordinary costs.
- Synonyms:
- inordinate
-
exceptional in character, amount, extent, degree, etc.; noteworthy; remarkable.
extraordinary speed;
an extraordinary man.
-
(of an official, employee, etc.) outside of or additional to the ordinary staff; having a special, often temporary task or responsibility.
minister extraordinary and plenipotentiary.
adjective
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very unusual, remarkable, or surprising
-
not in an established manner, course, or order
-
employed for particular events or purposes
-
(usually postpositive) (of an official, etc) additional or subordinate to the usual one
a minister extraordinary
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of extraordinary
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English extraordinarie, from Latin extrāordinārius “beyond ordinary,” equivalent to extra- + ordinary
Explanation
Something extraordinary goes above and beyond what is expected. This can be good or bad. Saving a child from a burning building is an extraordinary act of heroism, but a test score of 11 out of 100 is extraordinary too. The extra- in extraordinary means "outside" the ordinary. If you had to work for 10 hours on a two-page writing assignment, that means it was an extraordinarily hard assignment. Either that or you were extraordinarily slow. We often use the word extraordinary as a superlative. If your friend bakes you a cake better than any you’ve ever tasted, you could tell her it is “extraordinary.”
Vocabulary lists containing extraordinary
"The Landlady" by Roald Dahl
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List 5
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myPerspectives 7.5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Minnesota’s private sector remains extraordinary: brilliant entrepreneurs, disciplined family businesses, innovative medical and technology companies, farmers who feed the world.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
The Times leads with the resignation of the "plagiarism row professor" Jason Arday, who it says also made "extraordinary claims about his athletic feats and fundraising achievements".
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
CONMEBOL, which declared its support for Infantino's re-election bid earlier this year, said the fall-out had overshadowed an "extraordinary" World Cup.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
Bones recovered from underwater caves can provide an extraordinary record of the distant past.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026
“I think I have seen one of the most extraordinary sights today that anyone has ever seen,” Second Lieutenant Dougan Chater wrote to his mother from his trench on the Western Front.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
