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.
Driscoll said the demands facing national-security organizations are evolving at an unprecedented pace.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026
When we say that’s unprecedented, it really is.
From Slate ● Oct. 31, 2026
But even better news for Amazon's All or Nothing camera crews, who have been given "unprecedented" access to document the behind-the-scenes goings-on at Old Trafford this season.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
The heat that Southern California experienced this year was unprecedented, both in intensity and duration, according to Benmarhnia.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
But he found himself with an unprecedented problem.
From "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
