singular

[ sing-gyuh-ler ]

/ ˈsɪŋ gyə lər /

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See synonyms for: singular / singularly / singularness on Thesaurus.com

adjective

extraordinary; remarkable; exceptional: a singular success.

unusual or strange; odd; different: singular behavior.

being the only one of its kind; distinctive; unique: a singular example.

separate; individual.

Grammar. noting or pertaining to a member of the category of number found in many languages that indicates that a word form has one referent or denotes one person, place, thing, or instance, as English boy and thing, which are singular nouns, or goes, a singular form of the verb go.Compare dual (def. 4), plural (def. 4).

Logic.

of or relating to something individual, specific, or not general.
(of a proposition) containing no quantifiers, as “Socrates was mortal.”

Mathematics.

of or relating to a linear transformation from a vector space to itself that is not one-to-one.
of or relating to a matrix having a determinant equal to zero.

Obsolete. private.

Obsolete. single.

noun Grammar.

the singular number.

a form in the singular.

OTHER WORDS FOR singular

1-4 peculiar.

2 bizarre, queer, curious.

3 uncommon, rare.

4 single.

See synonyms for singular on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR singular

1 usual.

See antonyms for singular on Thesaurus.com

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of singular

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English word from Latin word singulāris.See single, -ar¹

OTHER WORDS FROM singular

sin·gu·lar·ly, adverbsin·gu·lar·ness, nounsu·per·sin·gu·lar, adjectiveun·sin·gu·lar, adjective

un·sin·gu·lar·ly, adverbun·sin·gu·lar·ness, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH singular

single, singular

Words nearby singular

sing out, Sing Sing, sing someone's praises, singsong, singspiel, singular, singularity, singularize, singular point, singulary, singulative

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use singular in a sentence

Humans reinvented a way to directly capture energy from the sun—previously the singular achievement of photosynthetic organisms.
Dawn of the Heliocene - Issue 90: Something Green|Summer Praetorius|September 16, 2020|Nautilus
One crucial aspect from this point of view is having personal account managers and being able to continually check the status of your campaign with a singular point of contact.
How would an SEO agency be built today? Part 2: Current business model(s)|Sponsored Content: SEOmonitor|September 16, 2020|Search Engine Land
What struck me immediately was his willingness to invent a new, singular model, freeing himself from the usual constraints of the fashion system.
Kerby Jean-Raymond Launch ‘Your Friends In New York’|Nandi Howard|September 11, 2020|Essence.com
The problem is that political parties are not singular entities capable of easily changing course.
Why There Are So Few Moderate Republicans Left|Lee Drutman (drutman@newamerica.org)|August 24, 2020|FiveThirtyEight

Maggie Curran says Belkin International’s approach is to view each component of a brand’s Amazon presence as part of the total, singular story the brand tells via Amazon, not just a driver of one-off sales.
Deep Dive: How to master Amazon advertising in the new normal|Digiday|July 29, 2020|Digiday
From this attitude he draws a singular comic and literary power.
Houellebecq’s Incendiary Novel Imagines France With a Muslim President|Pierre Assouline|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Her single and singular goal in every case is to pursue justice as determined by the law.
For Next AG, Obama Picks a Quiet Fighter With a Heavy Punch|Michael Daly|November 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The singular author Don Carpenter took his own life in 1995.
Don Carpenter Was a Novelist Both Lacerating and Forgiving|Louis B. Jones|July 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The entire city can seem like a singular monument to his decades in office.
Can America’s Favorite Ex-Con Mayor Win Again?|David Freedlander|June 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Eastwood is a singular screen presence, and he can be electrifying in the right role.
‘Jersey Boys’ Proves Clint Eastwood is Hollywood’s Most Overrated Director|Andrew Romano|June 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She gave details of the singular mood that had come upon her with the arrival of Tony, but Tom hardly heard her.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
It does not appear, however, that any special significance is attached to this singular fancy.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
The nuts are cut into thin slices and wrapped in the leaves of a singular plant called buyo.
Alila, Our Little Philippine Cousin|Mary Hazelton Wade
He turned, and rose: a tall, slight gentleman, with a singular countenance that startled her.
Checkmate|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
The fate of the royal family after this defeat was extremely singular and distressing.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell

British Dictionary definitions for singular

singular

/ (ˈsɪŋɡjʊlə) /

adjective

remarkable; exceptional; extraordinarya singular feat

unusual; odda singular character

unique

denoting a word or an inflected form of a word indicating that not more than one referent is being referred to or described

logic of or referring to a specific thing or person as opposed to something general

noun

grammar

the singular number
a singular form of a word

Derived forms of singular

singularly, adverbsingularness, noun

Word Origin for singular

C14: from Latin singulāris single

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

Cultural definitions for singular

singular

In nouns, pronouns, and verbs, the grammatical form that refers to only one thing. In the following sentence, the singular words are italicized: “The police officer stops anyone who crosses before the light changes.” (Compare plural; see agreement.)

singular

OTHER WORDS FOR singular

OPPOSITES FOR singular

Origin of singular

OTHER WORDS FROM singular

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH singular

Words nearby singular

Words related to singular

How to use singular in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for singular

Derived forms of singular

Word Origin for singular

Cultural definitions for singular