nonpareil

American  

[non-puh-rel] / ˌnɒn pəˈrɛl /

adjective

1. having no equal; peerless.

   Synonyms:

   unparalleled

   Antonyms:

   ordinary

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noun

1. a person or thing having no equal.

   Synonyms:

   nonesuch

2. a small pellet of colored sugar for decorating candy, cake, and cookies.

3. a flat, round, bite-sized piece of chocolate covered with this sugar.

4. painted bunting.

5. Printing.

   1. a 6-point type.

   2. a slug occupying 6 points of space between lines.

nonpareil British  

/ ˌnɒnpəˈreɪl, ˈnɒnpərəl /

noun

1. a person or thing that is unsurpassed or unmatched; peerless example

2. (formerly) a size of printers' type equal to 6 point

3. a small bead of coloured sugar used to decorate cakes, biscuits, etc

4. a flat round piece of chocolate covered with this sugar

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adjective

1. having no match or equal; peerless

Etymology

Origin of nonpareil

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English nonparail(le), from Middle French nonpareil, “unrivalled, peerless,” equivalent to non- non- + pareil “equal,” from Vulgar Latin pariculus, Late Latin pāriculus, a diminutive adjective and noun formed from Latin pār (inflectional stem pāri- “equal, an equal”) + -culus diminutive suffix; see -cle ¹ ( def. )

Explanation

Use nonpareil to describe someone or something that is beyond compare, an absolute model of perfection of a particular thing. Jane Austen was a writer nonpareil, and James Bond a spy nonpareil. Coming from the medieval French words non, meaning "not," and pareil, meaning "equal," so quite literally it means "not equal" or "unequaled." Like a lot of fancy French terms adopted by the English language (e.g., "bons mots," "eminence gris"), the use of nonpareil is generally restricted to written form. Use with caution.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

nonpareil

More than 120 million Americans are expected to tune in for an annual pop culture nonpareil, which this year features two teams nobody expected to reach the NFL championship decider.

From Barron's ● Feb. 8, 2026

Toni’s primary identity was not as an attorney, wife or prankster nonpareil, but as a distance runner.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 13, 2023

In her review of “Afterlives,” the novelist Imbolo Mbue wrote that Gurnah is “a novelist nonpareil, a master of the art form who understands human failings in conflicts both political and intimate.”

From New York Times ● Aug. 27, 2022

“King James” is named after basketball player nonpareil LeBron James, who looms over Rajiv Joseph’s entertaining new drama like a demigod.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 9, 2022

Their approaches to physics were divergent: Lawrence was an experimentalist nonpareil, Teller a profoundly intuitive theorist.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik