uncharacteristic
Britishadjective
Explanation
When something is uncharacteristic, it's not typical or expected. Snow in South Carolina is uncharacteristic, even in January. Your uncharacteristic silence might prompt your friends to worry about you, especially if you're normally the most talkative one in the room. On the other hand, an uncharacteristic win for your school's football team may fill you with uncharacteristic school spirit. Characteristic means "typical of a person or thing," and when you add the prefix un-, "not," you get its direct opposite.
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.
Huge steps made by Red Bull this weekend but an uncharacteristic mistake on the first lap sending him into a spin left him on the back foot.
From BBC • May 3, 2026
It was uncharacteristic for Anderson to have this sort of conversation with anybody outside of his teammates, or maybe his family.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 19, 2026
In photographing the interviewees, cinematographers Frederick Elmes and Joe Kelly favor odd angles and dramatic lighting uncharacteristic of traditional talking-head documentaries.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 7, 2026
It was uncharacteristic for the six-time Grand Slam winner, who rarely loses consecutive matches.
From Barron's • Jan. 12, 2026
Given the guide’s conservative, exceedingly methodical nature, many of his colleagues have expressed puzzlement at this uncharacteristic lapse of judgment.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
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.
