extraordinary

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

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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.

Nearby words

Origin of extraordinary

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

SYNONYMS FOR extraordinary

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

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ANTONYMS FOR extraordinary

1, 2. common, usual.

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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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for extraordinary

This breach is an extraordinary emotional drag on the exhausted population.
In One Corner of Syria, Christmas Spirit Somehow Manages to Survive|Peter Schwartzstein|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And yet our country has redefined citizenship in some extraordinary ways since its inception.
The Progressive Case Against Birthright Citizenship|Keli Goff|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This is an extraordinary recording that deserves to be much better known.
The Best Albums of 2014|Ted Gioia|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“It is extraordinary that in one week of contemporary art auctions almost $2 billion worth of art was sold,” he says.
William, Kate, and Jay Z’s Favorite Art Star: Alexander Gilkes' World of Rock Stars and Royalty|Tim Teeman|December 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The history of horrors in the North Caucasus is so extraordinary and so long as to seem almost otherworldly.
Where Chechens Go to Escape Their Surreal Past—and Risky Present|Anna Nemtsova|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He had extraordinary luck at Baden: broke the bank several nights, and was the fable of the place.
The History of Pendennis|William Makepeace Thackeray
Dr. Warren's interest in the Extraordinary Case increased at each visit he made.
Emily Fox-Seton|Frances Hodgson Burnett
Peter Cauchon's face, at once striking and repulsive, betokens a mixture of audacity, wile and extraordinary stubbornness.
The Executioner's Knife|Eugne Sue
I am sure I must have slept, for I had a notion, like one has sometimes in sleep, of extraordinary extension of time.
Round About the Carpathians|Andrew F. Crosse
It's an extraordinary event; and how we are to get out I do not know.
The Man With the Black Feather|Gaston Leroux

British Dictionary definitions for extraordinary

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 extraordinary

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.