uncommonly
Americanadverb
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in an uncommon or unusual manner or degree.
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exceptionally; outstandingly.
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rarely; infrequently.
adverb
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in an uncommon or unusual manner or degree; rarely
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(intensifier)
you're uncommonly friendly
Etymology
Origin of uncommonly
Explanation
Use the word uncommonly to mean "extremely" or "exceptionally" — as in the uncommonly good chocolate chip cookies your dad baked, or the uncommonly speedy way your family ate them. Rather than modifying a verb, uncommonly is one of those adverbs that almost always modifies an adjective. Use it whenever you want to emphasize how rare and exceptional something is, whether it's the uncommonly difficult crossword puzzle you solved or your uncommonly tidy bedroom. This word comes from uncommon, "not common, rare." Synonyms include words like "remarkably" and "unusually."
Vocabulary lists containing uncommonly
A Night Divided
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Anya and the Nightingale
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The False Prince
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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.
Served well, Guinness is an uncommonly handsome beer, with an instantly recognizable foamy beige head that sits atop the company’s harp-logoed “tulip” glass.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026
Industry veterans have described it as an uncommonly expensive documentary.
From BBC • Jan. 30, 2026
To counter this, she has an uncommonly strong script for the genre, balancing the sappy and sentimental with a slangy skater-queer-cool-kid voice inhabited comfortably by both Stella and Plaza.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 13, 2024
For a series with a goofy premise — what if talking apes overthrew humanity — the “Planet of the Apes” universe is uncommonly thoughtful, even insightful.
From New York Times • May 8, 2024
He was uncommonly cheerful for a man who was about to be cast out on his ear for the second time straight.
From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson
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.
