out of the ordinary

Idioms  

1. Unusual, uncommon, exceptional, as in The venison they served was certainly out of the ordinary. This expression sometimes, but not always, indicates that something is better than the usual. However, the negative version, nothing out of the ordinary, usually indicates that something is not special or outstanding, as in It was an interesting lecture, but nothing out of the ordinary.

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Example Sentences

"It represents togetherness and something a little out of the ordinary," she said in a video released by NASA.

From Barron's • Apr. 4, 2026

Nanos, at a news conference Monday, called on the public for help, asking for reports of anything out of the ordinary or any possible sightings of Nancy Guthrie.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 3, 2026

From uncool to mainstream isn’t so out of the ordinary.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 18, 2026

In those European Cup finals, without John producing something out of the ordinary, we don’t win them.

From BBC • Dec. 25, 2025

It was clear that they were, in fact, something far out of the ordinary, but it was too early to say whether the magic would hold.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown