extraordinary

[ik-strawr-dn-er-ee, ek-struh-awr-]

See more synonyms for extraordinary on Thesaurus.com

adjective

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.

Origin of extraordinary

1425–75; late Middle English extraordinarie < Latin extrāordinārius beyond what is ordinary. See extra-, ordinary

Related formsex·traor·di·nar·i·ly

[ik-strawr-dn-air-uh-lee, ek-struh-awr-] /ɪkˌstrɔr dnˈɛər ə li, ˌɛk strəˌɔr-/, adverbex·traor·di·nar·i·ness, nounun·ex·traor·di·nar·y, adjective

Synonyms for extraordinary

See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com

1. inordinate. 2. uncommon, singular, rare, phenomenal, special, signal.

Antonyms for extraordinary

1, 2. common, usual.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for extraordinarily

very, unusually, extremely, exceptionally, especially, notably

Examples from the Web for extraordinarily

Contemporary Examples of extraordinarily

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 Matters
December 9, 2014
How reliable were the other witnesses, given the extraordinarily charged atmosphere surrounding this case?
Ferguson’s Grand Jury Bought Darren Wilson’s Story
Paul Campos
November 25, 2014
“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 Media
Lloyd Grove
November 15, 2014
We are strong in our accomplishments, yet by some cruel irony we possess soft sensitive bodies and extraordinarily tall buildings.
Thank Goodness We’ve Got A Plan! Let the War Begin!
Michael Carson
September 14, 2014
However, you could also say that he was extraordinarily lucky.
Vogue Photographer Erwin Blumenfeld: Secrets of a Fashion Legend
Tim Teeman
September 14, 2014

Historical Examples of extraordinarily

"She's extraordinarily charming," said Temple with a very small sigh.
The Incomplete Amorist
E. Nesbit
The result is extraordinarily stimulating to our English wits.
A Writer's Recollections (In Two Volumes), Volume II
Mrs. Humphry Ward
His hands were slender, the fingers long and extraordinarily supple.
The Mind Master
Arthur 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.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science July 1930
Various

British Dictionary definitions for extraordinarily

extraordinary

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 onea minister extraordinary

Derived Formsextraordinarily, adverbextraordinariness, noun

Word Origin for extraordinary

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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for extraordinarily

extraordinary

adj.

early 15c., from Latin extraordinarius "out of the common order," from extra ordinem "out of order," especially the usual order, from extra "out" (see extra-) + ordinem (nominative ordo) "order" (see order). Related: Extraordinarily.