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.
Separately, the FCC also took the unusual step of calling in the licenses of eight Disney-owned television stations for early review.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 7, 2026
A more unusual money-saving technique: “I also reuse paper towels from ‘clean jobs’ for ‘dirty jobs,’ a Moneyist reader added.
From MarketWatch • Jul. 7, 2026
Nearly 30 years ago, researchers discovered two unusual molecules in rye pollen that appeared to slow tumor growth in animal studies.
From Science Daily • Jul. 6, 2026
But the U.S. is also an extraordinary and unusual nation in many ways, and we remain a nation in which many people say they want to have children and do not actually have them.
From Slate • Jul. 6, 2026
She said she had something very unusual, very special to show him.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
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.
