uncommon
Americanadjective
-
not common; unusual; rare.
an uncommon word.
-
unusual in amount or degree; above the ordinary.
an uncommon amount of mail.
- Synonyms:
- extraordinary
-
exceptional; remarkable.
- Synonyms:
- outstanding
adjective
-
outside or beyond normal experience, conditions, etc; unusual
-
in excess of what is normal
an uncommon liking for honey
adverb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of uncommon
Explanation
Anything uncommon is rare or unusual, like your uncommon last name, which all of your friends have trouble pronouncing. When you add the prefix un- to common, "occurring or done often," you get its opposite, uncommon. The word's earliest meaning was "not possessed in common," or not owned by everyone, from another meaning of common, "shared by the community." These days, people almost always mean "exceptional" or "not likely" when they describe something as uncommon: "It's uncommon for people to win the lottery, so don't waste your money!"
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
There is often little culture - his most profitable shot is categorised by CricViz as a 'slog' - but the striking is remarkable for its regularity, its uncommon cleanness and its length.
From BBC • May 7, 2026
It’s not uncommon in British television to post single episodes between seasons that may advance an ongoing story or just be something to run at Christmas.
From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026
At the journal I work for, it’s not uncommon to spend a month emailing a dozen or more people asking for a review.
From Slate • May 3, 2026
Though it isn’t uncommon for defensemen to log the longest minutes, Hughes’s ice time is the most of any player in the past decade.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026
Excessive abdominal noise is an uncommon, but not unprecedented, presenting symptom of infection with the bacteria Clostridium difficile, which can be fatal.
From "Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
