unparalleled
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of unparalleled
Explanation
If something's unparalleled, there's never been anything like it — such as a brilliant musical performance or a record-breaking time for an athlete. Remember parallel lines from your old geometry classes — lines running alongside each other always at the same distance that never meet and are essentially identical? Well, that's the idea unparalleled comes from — except the opposite (thus the "un"). Sporting achievements are particularly prone to being described as unparalleled, since athletes are always out to break records.
Vocabulary lists containing unparalleled
Frindle
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "U"
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Herbert Hoover on "Rugged Individualism" (1928)
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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.
It’s his unparalleled ability to drive opponents thoroughly crazy by using the pitch clock as the ultimate weapon of annoyance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
During a career that was chock-full of momentous events, The Beatles enjoyed plenty of turning points that contributed to their unparalleled achievements.
From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2026
At the same time, Richardson noted that under Greenspan, the Fed’s gravitas and influence in the world had reached unparalleled heights.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2026
The Shaftesbury Theatre in London's West End is to be renamed after the actress Dame Judi Dench, to celebrate her "unparalleled contribution" to British theatre and the performing arts.
From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026
This was an unparalleled situation in the country’s history: in the South African parliamentary system, the leader of the majority party becomes the head of state.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
