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!"
Vocabulary lists containing uncommon
Strange
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Strange
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Strange
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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.
It is not uncommon for Conlon to get the loudest applause at curtain call.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2026
A Fire Rover sensor monitors the space for fire safety—fires in recycling facilities like this are not uncommon.
From Barron's • Jun. 17, 2026
"While it is always heartbreaking to lose a young animal, sadly this is not uncommon in large cat litters," said Richard Langston, head of carnivores at Howletts.
From BBC • Jun. 10, 2026
While, in most industries, it’s unusual for one company to pay another to help it get a competing product off the ground, it’s not uncommon in the space industry.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 9, 2026
It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence, Will going missing.
From "A Tangle of Knots" by Lisa Graff
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.
