| Library / English Dictionary |
UNUSUAL
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Not commonly encountered
Example:
two-career families are no longer unusual
Classified under:
Similar:
uncommon (not common or ordinarily encountered; unusually great in amount or remarkable in character or kind)
Derivation:
unusualness (uncommonness by virtue of being unusual)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Not usual or common or ordinary
Example:
an unusual meteorite
Classified under:
Similar:
different (differing from all others; not ordinary)
extraordinary ((of an official) serving an unusual or special function in addition to those of the regular officials)
odd (not easily explained)
out-of-the-way; out of the ordinary; out of the way (exceptional, unusual, or remarkable)
peculiar (markedly different from the usual)
unaccustomed (unusual or unfamiliar)
unique (highly unusual or rare but not the single instance)
Also:
uncommon (not common or ordinarily encountered; unusually great in amount or remarkable in character or kind)
Attribute:
usualness (commonness by virtue of not being unusual)
Antonym:
usual (occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure)
Derivation:
unusualness (uncommonness by virtue of being unusual)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
Example:
what a strange sense of humor she has
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Adjectives
Similar:
weird (strikingly odd or unusual)
quaint (very strange or unusual; odd or even incongruous in character or appearance)
quaint (strange in an interesting or pleasing way)
other (very unusual; different in character or quality from the normal or expected)
oddish (somewhat strange)
gothic (characterized by gloom and mystery and the grotesque)
freaky (strange and somewhat frightening)
exotic (strikingly strange or unusual)
eerie; eery (inspiring a feeling of fear; strange and frightening)
curious; funny; odd; peculiar; queer; rum; rummy; singular (beyond or deviating from the usual or expected)
crazy (bizarre or fantastic)
antic; fantastic; fantastical; grotesque (ludicrously odd)
Derivation:
unusualness (uncommonness by virtue of being unusual)
Context examples:
This unusual object - for now designated A/2017 U1 - is less than a quarter-mile (400 meters) in diameter and is moving remarkably fast.
(Small Asteroid or Comet 'Visits' from Beyond the Solar System, NASA)
If she had not got the new idea into her head, she would have seen nothing unusual in the fact that Beth was very quiet, and Laurie very kind to her.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
Let me know instantly if there be anything unusual anywhere.
(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)
I looked for Mr. Traddles with unusual interest.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
No unusual thing for a doctor in practice.
(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
An unusual, well differentiated adenocarcinoma that arises from the extrahepatic bile ducts.
(Extrahepatic Bile Duct Adenocarcinoma, Gastric Foveolar Type, NCI Thesaurus)
Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) Does the patient believe any other unusual things that I haven't asked about?
(NPI - Any Other Unusual Things That I Haven't Asked About, NCI Thesaurus)
Her aunt Bertram had recollected her on this occasion with an unusual degree of wakefulness.
(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)
She continued to look back, but in vain; and soon, with what appeared unusual speed, they were half way down the hill, and every thing left far behind.
(Emma, by Jane Austen)
The tumor usually metastasizes to unusual sites and late metastasis is common.
(Non-Hereditary Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma, NCI Thesaurus)
