extraordinary
Americanadjective
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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
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very unusual, remarkable, or surprising
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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
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.
Actor and producer Niko Foster has put his jaw-dropping Nevada mansion on the market for $21.9 million—12 years after work was completed on the extraordinary custom-built “masterpiece.”
From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026
The phrase “geofence warrant” disguises the extraordinary nature of what the government actually requested.
From Slate • May 20, 2026
He said "there can be certain situations that are tense and everybody did their best, but sometimes you cannot control everything", adding that he believed the launch overall had been "extraordinary".
From BBC • May 19, 2026
Disney Hall allowed him the extraordinary freedom to dream.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
It looks odd, and perhaps a bit mysterious, but not extraordinary.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
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.
