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

See Examples For:

out of the ordinary

“In content writing and digital marketing, a phone is not out of the ordinary, because those roles are based on remote tools,” he said.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026

Chait — who will give his first “state of the district” address on Tuesday — said in a statement that parents would see nothing out of the ordinary when schools open in the fall.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

Even further away, road workers were laying new tarmac and buses were running as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening just a short distance away.

From BBC ● Jun. 2, 2026

Such "blunt" rhetoric is "out of the ordinary" coming from Xi in conversation with a US president, Adam Ni, editor of the China Neican newsletter, told AFP.

From Barron's ● May 14, 2026

To passersby on the darkened London street, they look like nothing out of the ordinary, only young lovers kissing in the rain.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern