out of the ordinary

Idioms  

1. Unusual, uncommon, exceptional, as in The venison they served was certainly out of the ordinary. This expression sometimes, but not always, indicates that something is better than the usual. However, the negative version, nothing out of the ordinary, usually indicates that something is not special or outstanding, as in It was an interesting lecture, but nothing out of the ordinary.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

out of the ordinary

And I didn’t realize we had to justify or defend this, or that it was anything out of the ordinary.

From Salon ● Oct. 21, 2026

Is there something out of the ordinary that you requested in your prenup?

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026

Still, Farley is clear about the long-term vision: making Ford the “Porsche of off-road” and getting the company out of the ordinary and into the “iconic vehicle” business.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

Infantino, however, argued that such decisions are not out of the ordinary, claiming similar rulings are "routine and widely accepted in some of the biggest leagues worldwide".

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

In this he acted like his contemporaries and no one noticed anything out of the ordinary except Sourmelina.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

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