singular

[sing-gyuh-ler]

adjective

1. extraordinary; remarkable; exceptional.

   a singular success.

   Synonyms: peculiar
   Antonyms: usual

2. unusual or strange; odd; different.

   singular behavior.

   Synonyms: curious, queer, bizarre, peculiar

3. being the only one of its kind; distinctive; unique.

   a singular example.

   Synonyms: rare, uncommon, peculiar

4. separate; individual.

   Synonyms: single, peculiar

5. 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.

6. Logic.

   1. of or relating to something individual, specific, or not general.

   2. (of a proposition) containing no quantifiers, as “Socrates was mortal.”

7. Mathematics.

   1. of or relating to a linear transformation from a vector space to itself that is not one-to-one.

   2. of or relating to a matrix having a determinant equal to zero.

8. Obsolete.,  private.

9. Obsolete.,  single.

noun

Grammar.

1. the singular number.

2. a form in the singular.

singular

/ ˈsɪŋɡjʊlə /

adjective

1. remarkable; exceptional; extraordinary

   a singular feat

2. unusual; odd

   a singular character

3. unique

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

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

noun

1. grammar

   1. the singular number

   2. a singular form of a word

singular

1. 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.)

Other Word Forms

• singularly adverb
• singularness noun
• supersingular adjective
• unsingular adjective
• unsingularly adverb
• unsingularness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of singular¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English word from Latin word singulāris. See single, -ar ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of singular¹

C14: from Latin singulāris _single

Example Sentences

Hussein also promoted a new idea among Zaidis of a singular leader, known as the “Guiding Eminence,” who was chosen by God to rule.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"I had a singular focus: save the company and save all of our 10,000 employees," he says.

Read more on BBC

Tracy’s script, a faithful yet singular remake of the 2003 South Korean film, “Save the Green Planet!,” shrewdly analyzes how quickly contemporary hopelessness breeds radicalism.

Read more on Salon

“Bread of Angels,” Patti Smith’s mesmerizing new memoir, only deepens the mystery of who this iconic artist is and where her singular vision originated.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

And I want to keep creating singular moments like “Sunset Boulevard.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bizarre 
• exceptional 
• extraordinary 
• peculiar 
• rare 
• remarkable 
• strange 
• uncommon 
• unimaginable 
• unparalleled 
• unprecedented 
• unusual