extraordinary
[ik-strawr-dn-er-ee, ek-struh-awr-]
- beyond what is usual, ordinary, regular, or established: extraordinary costs.
- 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.
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Origin of extraordinary
Synonyms
See more synonyms for extraordinary on Thesaurus.com1. inordinate. 2. uncommon, singular, rare, phenomenal, special, signal.
Antonyms
1, 2. common, usual.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for extraordinarily
Contemporary Examples
This is important in the concentration process, which takes place by means of an extraordinarily measured period of boiling.
When It Comes to Great Whisky, The Size of Your Still MattersDecember 9, 2014
How reliable were the other witnesses, given the extraordinarily charged atmosphere surrounding this case?
“Having too much money allows you to be extraordinarily unfocused, which is a bad thing,” Lerer told me back in March.
Journalists + eBay Billionaire = Chaos. The Troubles at Pierre Omidyar’s First Look MediaLloyd Grove
November 15, 2014
We are strong in our accomplishments, yet by some cruel irony we possess soft sensitive bodies and extraordinarily tall buildings.
However, you could also say that he was extraordinarily lucky.
Historical Examples
"She's extraordinarily charming," said Temple with a very small sigh.
The Incomplete AmoristE. Nesbit
The result is extraordinarily stimulating to our English wits.
A Writer's Recollections (In Two Volumes), Volume IIMrs. Humphry Ward
His hands were slender, the fingers long and extraordinarily supple.
The Mind MasterArthur J. Burks
The girl is, on the contrary, of extraordinarily good disposition.
Erdgeist (Earth-Spirit)Frank Wedekind
In some lines of research they were extraordinarily brilliant.
extraordinary
- 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 onea minister extraordinary
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Word Origin
C15: from Latin extraordinārius beyond what is usual; see ordinary
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for extraordinarily
extraordinary
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper