unusual
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of unusual
Explanation
Something unusual is uncommon. It's odd, weird, or out of the ordinary in some way. Unusual is the opposite of usual, thanks to the prefix un, meaning "not." Unusual things are noteworthy: you don't see them every day. A dog chasing a squirrel is usual. A squirrel chasing a dog would be unusual. Unusual can mean strange and bizarre, or just things that are rare. If someone is always absent, showing up would be unusual. Most surprising things are unusual.
Vocabulary lists containing unusual
List 7
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Strange
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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.
“This has been an abrupt, arbitrary and unusual procedure,” said Juan Domingo Alonso, a lawyer for the Cisneros family entity, DP Delta Finance, that formed the venture.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
The team also found signs of additional unusual quantum behavior.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026
In the same post, the nonprofit announced it was taking the unusual step of naming the new eagle “Kaydee.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
He said it was not unusual to see "people's coffee flying around on tables and people struggling to type on laptops", and he had raised concerns with Southern on more than one occasion.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
It was an unusual activity, to be sure; but Clare, too, found that his greatest treasures were from the garbage.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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.
