unprecedented
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unprecedented
Explanation
Something that is unprecedented is not known, experienced, or done before. If you've never gone on a family beach vacation but you're planning one now, you could refer to it as an unprecedented decision. The root of this word is precedent, a noun referring to something done or said that is used as an example to be followed in the future. In law, a precedent is a legal decision that is used as a standard in future cases. So the adjective unprecedented, meaning "having no precedent," was formed from the prefix un- "not," the noun precedent, and the suffix –ed "having."
Vocabulary lists containing unprecedented
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 5
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The New SAT: Words to Capture Tone
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Fast Food Nation
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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.
Leveraged funds and margin debt have grown to unprecedented levels this year.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 30, 2026
Since then, the team has enjoyed unprecedented success on and off the court.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 30, 2026
It comes after Europe's unprecedented early summer heatwave scorched several countries over recent days, with temperature records broken across the continent.
From BBC • Jun. 30, 2026
The new images provided an unprecedented view of the crater's internal structure.
From Science Daily • Jun. 30, 2026
She had gotten to the convention center much later than she’d planned, due to an unprecedented traffic jam on the highway.
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.
