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UNCOMMON
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I. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Not common or ordinarily encountered; unusually great in amount or remarkable in character or kind
Example:
he owed his greatest debt to his mother's uncommon character and ability
Classified under:
Similar:
especial; exceptional; particular; special (surpassing what is common or usual or expected)
rare (not widely known; especially valued for its uncommonness)
red-carpet; red carpet (special treatment or hospitality)
unusual (not commonly encountered)
unwonted (unaccustomed or unusual)
Also:
unusual (not usual or common or ordinary)
extraordinary (beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable)
Attribute:
commonness; commonplaceness; everydayness (ordinariness as a consequence of being frequent and commonplace)
Antonym:
common (having no special distinction or quality; widely known or commonly encountered; average or ordinary or usual)
Derivation:
uncommonness (extraordinariness as a consequence of being rare and seldom encountered)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Marked by an uncommon quality; especially superlative or extreme of its kind
Example:
she was kind to an uncommon degree
Synonyms:
rare; uncommon
Classified under:
Similar:
extraordinary (beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable)
Derivation:
uncommonness (extraordinariness as a consequence of being marked by an uncommon or superlative quality)
Context examples:
Oh, I assure you, said Traddles, something very uncommon, indeed!
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
An uncommon lipoma characterized by prominent vascularity that invades the surrounding deep tissue.
(Infiltrating Angiolipoma, NCI Thesaurus)
An uncommon mature T-cell lymphoma of intraepithelial lymphocytes.
(Enteropathy-Associated T-Cell Lymphoma, NCI Thesaurus)
About the court, such instances of elegant breeding are not uncommon.
(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)
In this age of literature, such collections on a very grand scale are not uncommon.
(Emma, by Jane Austen)
This is a relatively uncommon carcinoma, represents approximately 10% of the breast adenocarcinomas and is often bilateral or multifocal.
(Lobular Breast Carcinoma, NCI Thesaurus)
It is a relatively uncommon tumor, which may occur at any age from infancy.
(Pilomatricoma, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)
But Caroline Beaufort possessed a mind of an uncommon mould, and her courage rose to support her in her adversity.
(Frankenstein, by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)
Today plague is uncommon, due to better living conditions and antibiotics.
(Plague, NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)
It is not uncommon, occurring in adult life in no particular age group, with males and females equally affected.
(Apocrine Hidrocystoma, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)
