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.
The unprecedented interest in the uniquely American creation was so powerful that it translated to actual sales.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
The unprecedented ticket mayhem built hype — not just for the film, but for the format.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
Nvidia was the darling of Wall Street for the past year as chip scarcity drove an unprecedented premium on hardware and tech giants scrambled for its products.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
As future observatories such as the Square Kilometer Array begin operating, these techniques will become even more valuable for processing the unprecedented volumes of data they will collect.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026
Not only do archaeologists like Dobyns, Perttula, and Ramenofsky argue that unrecorded pandemics swept through the Americas, they claim that the diseases themselves were of unprecedented deadliness.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
