uncommon

[uhn-kom-uh n]

See more synonyms for uncommon on Thesaurus.com

adjective, un·com·mon·er, un·com·mon·est.

not common; unusual; rare: an uncommon word.
unusual in amount or degree; above the ordinary: an uncommon amount of mail.
exceptional; remarkable.

Origin of uncommon

First recorded in 1540–50; un-¹ + common

Related formsun·com·mon·ness, noun

Synonyms

See more synonyms for uncommon on Thesaurus.com

1. scarce, infrequent; odd, singular, strange, peculiar, queer. 2. extraordinary. 3. outstanding.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for uncommon

Contemporary Examples

Though tissues are present and tears are not uncommon, the Dinner Parties are distinctly not grief counseling or group therapy.
Everyone at This Dinner Party Has Lost Someone
Samantha Levine
January 6, 2015
These negotiations are not uncommon on junketed studio films.
Brie Larson’s Hollywood Transformation
Marlow Stern
December 29, 2014
Although often this is considered proof positive of guilt at trial, it is not an uncommon occurrence in false confessions.
How the U.S. Justice System Screws Prisoners with Disabilities
Elizabeth Picciuto
December 16, 2014
Love poems between aristocratic women were not uncommon at the time, as long as they stayed safely on the side of friendship.
Sor Juana: Mexico’s Most Erotic Poet and Its Most Dangerous Nun
Katie Baker
November 8, 2014
Compulsive writing, or hypergraphia, is a well-known, if uncommon, symptom of temporal lobe epilepsy.
The Seizure Medication That Turns You Into a Poet
Cat Ferguson
September 12, 2014

Historical Examples

The doctor there speaks of 'our steel pens,' as if they were not at all uncommon.
The Story of the Invention of Steel Pens
Henry Bore
Her spirits are remarkably high—not an uncommon effect of laudanum.
Alice, or The Mysteries, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
They was all hard up there, Mr Plornish said, uncommon hard up, to be sure.
Little Dorrit
Charles Dickens
That's a woman who observes and reflects in an uncommon manner.
Life And Adventures Of Martin Chuzzlewit
Charles Dickens
It gives us a new, and quite an uncommon interest in the dinner.
Life And Adventures Of Martin Chuzzlewit
Charles Dickens

British Dictionary definitions for uncommon

uncommon

adjective

outside or beyond normal experience, conditions, etc; unusual
in excess of what is normalan uncommon liking for honey

adverb

an archaic word for uncommonly (def. 2)

Derived Formsuncommonness, noun

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 uncommon

adj.

1540s, "not possessed in common," from un- (1) "not" + common (adj.). Meaning "not commonly occurring, unusual, rare" is recorded from 1610s. Related: Uncommonly.

uncommon

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}uncommon

Synonyms

Examples from the Web for uncommon

Contemporary Examples

Though tissues are present and tears are not uncommon, the Dinner Parties are distinctly not grief counseling or group therapy.

These negotiations are not uncommon on junketed studio films.

Although often this is considered proof positive of guilt at trial, it is not an uncommon occurrence in false confessions.

Love poems between aristocratic women were not uncommon at the time, as long as they stayed safely on the side of friendship.

Compulsive writing, or hypergraphia, is a well-known, if uncommon, symptom of temporal lobe epilepsy.

Historical Examples

The doctor there speaks of 'our steel pens,' as if they were not at all uncommon.

Her spirits are remarkably high—not an uncommon effect of laudanum.

They was all hard up there, Mr Plornish said, uncommon hard up, to be sure.

That's a woman who observes and reflects in an uncommon manner.

It gives us a new, and quite an uncommon interest in the dinner.

uncommon

Word Origin and History for uncommon

adj.

Origin of uncommon