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definitions

singular

[ sing-gyuh-ler ]
/ ˈsɪŋ gyə lər /
||
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adjective

noun Grammar.

the singular number.
a form in the singular.

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RELATED WORDS

unusual, rare, remarkable, exceptional, strange, uncommon, unprecedented, unimaginable, extraordinary, unparalleled, bizarre, peculiar, unique, particular, eccentric, loner, avant-garde, queer, weird, original

Nearby words

  1. singletree,
  2. singlish,
  3. singly,
  4. singsong,
  5. singspiel,
  6. singular point,
  7. singularity,
  8. singularize,
  9. singularly,
  10. singulary

Origin of singular

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English word from Latin word singulāris. See single, -ar1
ANTONYMS FOR singular
1. usual.
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Related forms
Can be confusedsingle singular
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for singular

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
  1. the singular number
  2. a singular form of a word
Derived Formssingularly, 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
Word Origin and History for singular

singular

adj.

mid-14c., "alone, apart; being a unit; special, unsurpassed," from Old French singuler "personal particular; distinctive; singular in number" (12c., Modern French singulier) or directly from Latin singularis "single, solitary, one by one, one at a time; peculiar, remarkable," from singulus (see single (adj.)). Meaning "remarkably good, unusual, rare, separated from others (by excellence), uncommon" is from c.1400 in English; this also was a common meaning of Latin singularis.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Culture 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.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.