uniqueness

American  

[yoo-neek-nis] / juˈnik nɪs /

noun

• uniquenesses
  plural

1. the quality of being unlike anything else of its kind or of being solitary in type or characteristics.

   Owing to its physical and behavioral uniqueness, the osprey is classified in its own family.

2. the quality of being unequaled, incomparable, or unusual.

   Critics are praising the uniqueness of her performance art.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonuniqueness
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• uniquenesses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of uniqueness

First recorded in 1800–05; unique ( def. ) + -ness ( def. )

Explanation

Are you one of a kind? Then you must have some kind of uniqueness, some quality that makes you stand out from all the rest. When you break down the word uniqueness, it’s easy to see what it means. First you notice the word unique, which means “one of a kind.” Then you notice -ness, a common suffix that’s used to form nouns that refer to a state of being. Put it together and you get uniqueness, a noun used to describe that certain something that makes a person or thing uncommon or singular, like "the uniqueness of a famous opera singer’s voice."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

uniqueness uniquenesses

But uniqueness doesn’t exempt college athletics from competition law.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

"I think the uniqueness is really what stood out."

From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026

"It gives a real chance to preserve and present their uniqueness and beauty," he says.

From BBC ● May 30, 2026

“The beauty and uniqueness of that first dining table really confirmed this new direction for us,” he says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2026

What the test giver is looking for are the number and the uniqueness of your responses.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

Brain research on women only really took off in the 1990s so what we are finding today are the uniquenesses of men and women.

From New York Times ● Dec. 19, 2016