unwonted

American  

[uhn-wawn-tid, -wohn-, -wuhn-] / ʌnˈwɔn tɪd, -ˈwoʊn-, -ˈwʌn- /

adjective

1. not customary or usual; rare.

   unwonted kindness.

2. Archaic. unaccustomed or unused.

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unwonted British  

/ ʌnˈwəʊntɪd /

adjective

1. out of the ordinary; unusual

2. archaic (usually foll by to) unaccustomed; unused

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Other Word Forms

• unwontedly adverb
• unwontedness noun

Etymology

Origin of unwonted

First recorded in 1545–55; un- ¹ + wonted

Explanation

Unwonted is a pretty old-fashioned word now, meaning something unusual or out of the ordinary. Nowadays, unwonted is a pretty unwonted word itself. Unwonted was once a particularly beloved literary term, favored by authors like Henry James and Charles Dickens, whose books were filled with "unwonted circumstances," and the like. Not to be confused — as it often is — with unwanted, meaning not wanted or desired. The confusion arises not just because the words sound identical, but because their meanings overlap: it's a safe bet that anything unwonted is generally unwanted, too.

Example Sentences

This is because of the unwonted affection that the former president displays to his one-time arch-rival.

From BBC • Dec. 10, 2025

Some sequences verge on a romp, and the result, though far from Lanthimos’s usual territory, could well bring him an unwonted commercial success.

From The New Yorker • Nov. 16, 2018

Backstage, Edinburgh yielded to the south with a sea of Italians washing around the dressing rooms and up to Noseda’s closed door, where the maestro, in unwonted seclusion, was doing his new PT exercises.

From Washington Post • Sep. 21, 2017

That unwonted intimacy between client and service provider is a brilliant touch, upending the assumptions of a newborn industrial age, and no less resonant for the 21st century.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 27, 2017

I became gripped by a quiet unwonted urge to know a little about these matters and to understand how people figured them out.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson