extraordinary
Americanadjective
-
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
-
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
- extraordinarily adverb
- extraordinariness noun
- unextraordinary adjective
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.
Richard Gadd’s new series, “Half Man,” continues the creator’s knack for finding extraordinary talent.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026
But prosecutors enjoy extraordinary discretion and nothing stops Pirro or some other prosecutor from reopening that investigation or launching a new one.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026
Rowley also praised the "extraordinary" actions of the officers and local volunteers who apprehended the man - who remains in custody.
From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026
"I've just had a scan just now, and there is no cancer in my body -- that's an extraordinary thing," Neil said.
From Barron's • Apr. 29, 2026
It had to possess chemical regularity—otherwise, routine processes such as copying and transmission would not work—but it also had to be capable of extraordinary irregularity—or else, the enormous diversity of inheritance could not be explained.
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
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.
