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

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

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

How to use singular in a sentence

With great technology, collaboration and a commitment to address the underlying cultural conditions and the ivory trade that leads to most elephant deaths, there’s a real chance to save these singular creatures.
Can artificial intelligence give elephants a winning edge?|Walter Thompson|November 20, 2020|TechCrunch
He is the only person to be an active participant in each of the Celtics’ 17 World Championships, an extraordinary and singular legacy.
Tommy Heinsohn, a Celtics institution for more than a half-century, dies at 86|Matt Bonesteel|November 10, 2020|Washington Post
In many ways, “The Life Ahead” brings Loren’s career full circle, once again casting her in a story animated by De Sica’s singular brand of humanism and compassion.
With ‘The Life Ahead,’ Sophia Loren is approaching her 100th movie. She’s going for much more.|Ann Hornaday|November 5, 2020|Washington Post
These past years, OnePlus has been my singular focus, and everything else has had to take a backseat.
OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei confirms he has left the company|Manish Singh|October 16, 2020|TechCrunch

“How do we take a singular voice and make it a voice of every man and woman,” Forbes asked herself and her collaborators.
Three Former Howard Students Are Taking ‘Between The World And Me’ From The Bookshelf To HBO|cmurray|October 9, 2020|Essence.com
Today that singularly revered profession is actually many jobs rolled into one.
Renaissance Man Jared Leto Defies Categorization|The Daily Beast|December 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The first photos from the far side of the Moon are singularly unimpressive to modern eyes.
The USSR’s Race to the Moon’s Far Side|Matthew R. Francis|October 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This was set aside for the moment, now that a man with a knife had committed something so singularly horrific.
This Brooklyn 6-Year-Old’s Murderer Is Still on the Loose|Michael Daly|June 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
New York Times Book critic Eliot Fremont-Smith agreed in his review, calling Barbie, “singularly offensive.”
Happy Bday Barbie! You're Over|Brandy Zadrozny|March 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Professional sports has a singularly unheroic and uninspiring precedent for treating those with a medical problem.
Can NASCAR Driver Trevor Bayne Race Safely With Multiple Sclerosis?|Kent Sepkowitz|November 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Nicknames among this class of poor whites in the South seem singularly like those in vogue in New England.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
He saw that Marius had disappeared, and that mademoiselle had risen and was regarding him with singularly imploring eyes.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
Singularly courteous and obliging on all occasions, I, personally, have been much indebted to him for help and advice.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
Her voice was singularly sweet and full, and Mr. Mason said to himself, "She'll be a singer some day, if she is not crazy first."
The Cromptons|Mary J. Holmes
"You are singularly concerned in this man's life," said he, an odious undercurrent of meaning in his voice.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini

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 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