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Synonyms

unusual

American  
[uhn-yoo-zhoo-uhl, -yoozh-wuhl] / ʌnˈyu ʒu əl, -ˈyuʒ wəl /

adjective

  1. not usual, common, or ordinary; uncommon in amount or degree; exceptional.

    an unusual sound; an unusual hobby; an unusual response.
    Synonyms:
    odd, queer, curious, singular, strange, rare, remarkable, extraordinary
unusual British  
/ ʌnˈjuːʒʊəl /

adjective

  1. out of the ordinary; uncommon; extraordinary

    an unusual design
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • unusually adverb
  • unusualness noun

Etymology

Origin of unusual

First recorded in 1575–85; un- 1 + usual

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.

I’ll just note that writer-director Kristoffer Borgli has misplaced hopes for the comic value of his unusual, even extreme, idea for how a single spoken sentence might endanger a relationship.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

“Even if that sounds unusual to the crisis center worker, it is still a valid and acceptable answer.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

“The labor market has been sending an unusual set of mixed signals,” John Williams, president of the New York Fed, said in a speech earlier this week.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 1, 2026

Mastering phonons could unlock entirely new capabilities, including access to unusual quantum effects such as entanglement.

From Science Daily • Mar. 31, 2026

It would be the most unusual excuse ever for not turning in an assignment: “A huge redwood tree fell on top of my homework.”

From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret

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.