Standard Lemma guide

unique

adj · noun · 8 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /juːˈniːk/
  • /jəˈ-/ weak vowel merger
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • South-Asia: /jʊˈniːk/
  • South-Asia: /ˈjuː.niːk/
  • rhymes with -iːk
  • CMU ARPABET: Y UW0 N IY1 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Being the only one of its kind; unequaled, unparalleled or unmatched.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Examples

  • Every person has a unique life, therefore every person has a unique journey.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: one of a kind, sui generis, singular, one-off

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Of a feature, such that only one holder has it.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Particular, characteristic.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Rare or unusual.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: often, proscribed

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A thing without a like; something unequalled or unparallelled; one of a kind.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

highly unusual or rare but not the single instance

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • spoke with a unique accent
  • had unique ability in raising funds
  • a frankness unique in literature
  • a unique dining experience

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

adjective satellite

Meaning 7

radically distinctive and without equal

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • he is alone in the field of microbiology
  • this theory is altogether alone in its penetration of the problem
  • Bach was unique in his handling of counterpoint
  • craftsmen whose skill is unequaled
  • unparalleled athletic ability
  • a breakdown of law unparalleled in our history

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: alone(p), unequaled, unequalled, unparalleled

Antonyms: none provided

8

adjective satellite

Meaning 8

the single one of its kind

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a singular example
  • the unique existing example of Donne's handwriting
  • a unique copy of an ancient manuscript
  • certain types of problems have unique solutions

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: singular

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Borrowed from French unique, from Latin unicus.

Across languages

Translations

132 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Abkhaz: зда́ҟам (zdáqʼam) — one of a kind
  • Abkhaz: а́даздам (ádazdam) — one of a kind
  • Abkhaz: иуника́лу (iwnikʼálu) — one of a kind
  • Abkhaz: иҷы́доу (ičʼə́dow) — one of a kind
  • Abkhaz: ҷы́далатәи (čʼə́dalatwʼi) — one of a kind
  • Abkhaz: ихазу́ (ixazú) — one of a kind
  • Abkhaz: и́заҵәу (ízacwʼu) — one of a kind
  • Abkhaz: а́дазҳәазҵам (ádazḥwazcʼam) — one of a kind
  • Abkhaz: зеиԥшы́ҟам (zejpŝə́qʼam) — one of a kind
  • Abkhaz: зеиԥшҟамла́ц (zejpŝqʼamlác) — one of a kind
  • Afrikaans: uniek — one of a kind
  • Arabic: فَرِيد (farīd) — one of a kind
  • Arabic: فَذّ (faḏḏ) — one of a kind
  • Arabic: وَحِيد (waḥīd) — one of a kind
  • Armenian: եզակի (ezaki) — one of a kind
  • Armenian: ունիկալ (unikal) — one of a kind
  • Avar: цӏакъаб (cʼaqxʼab) — one of a kind
  • Azerbaijani: unikal — one of a kind
  • Belarusian: уніка́льны (unikálʹny) — one of a kind
  • Belarusian: адзі́ны (adzíny) — one of a kind
  • Belarusian: непаўто́рны (njepawtórny) — one of a kind
  • Bulgarian: уника́лен (unikálen) — one of a kind
  • Bulgarian: неповтори́м (nepovtorím) — one of a kind
  • Bulgarian: еди́нствен (edínstven) — one of a kind
  • Catalan: únic — one of a kind
  • Chinese: 特異 /特异 (ti̍k-ī) — one of a kind
  • Chinese Mandarin: 獨一無二 /独一无二 (dúyīwú'èr) — one of a kind
  • Chinese Mandarin: 唯一 (wéiyī) — one of a kind
  • Chinese Mandarin: 特異 /特异 (tèyì) — one of a kind
  • Czech: jedinečný — one of a kind
  • Czech: unikátní — one of a kind
  • Danish: unik — one of a kind
  • Danish: enestående — one of a kind
  • Dutch: uniek — one of a kind
  • Esperanto: unika — one of a kind
  • Esperanto: ununura — one of a kind
  • Estonian: unikaalne — one of a kind
  • Estonian: ainulaadne — one of a kind
  • Finnish: ainutlaatuinen — one of a kind
  • French: unique — one of a kind
  • Galician: único — one of a kind
  • Galician: senlleiro — one of a kind
  • Galician: sobranceiro — one of a kind
  • Georgian: უნიკალური (uniḳaluri) — one of a kind
  • Georgian: განუმეორებელი (ganumeorebeli) — one of a kind
  • Georgian: ერთადერთი (ertaderti) — one of a kind
  • Georgian: უბადლო (ubadlo) — one of a kind
  • Georgian: შეუდარებელი (šeudarebeli) — one of a kind
  • German: einzigartig — one of a kind
  • German: unikal — one of a kind
  • German: einzig — one of a kind
  • Greek: μοναδικός (monadikós) — one of a kind
  • Ancient Greek: μοναχός (monakhós) — one of a kind
  • Hindi: अनोखा (anokhā) — one of a kind
  • Hindi: अनूठा (anūṭhā) — one of a kind
  • Hungarian: egyedi — one of a kind
  • Hungarian: egyedülálló — one of a kind
  • Ido: unika — one of a kind
  • Indonesian: unik — one of a kind
  • Irish: uathúil — one of a kind
  • Italian: unico — one of a kind
  • Italian: peculiare — one of a kind
  • Italian: speciale — one of a kind
  • Japanese: 唯一 (yuiitsu) — one of a kind
  • Japanese: 唯一無二 (yuiitsumuni) — one of a kind
  • Japanese: ユニーク (yunīku) — one of a kind
  • Javanese: unik — one of a kind
  • Kazakh: бірегей (bıregei) — one of a kind
  • Khmer: ពិសេស (pisaeh) — one of a kind
  • Korean: 유일무이(唯一無二)하다 (yuilmu'ihada) — one of a kind
  • Korean: 유일(唯一)하다 (yuilhada) — one of a kind
  • Korean: 독특(獨特)하다 (dokteukhada) — one of a kind
  • Korean: 희한(稀罕)하다 (huihanhada) — one of a kind
  • Kyrgyz: сейрек (seyrek) — one of a kind
  • Latin: ūnicus — one of a kind
  • Macedonian: уника́тен (unikáten) — one of a kind
  • Macedonian: е́динствен (édinstven) — one of a kind
  • Macedonian: исклучи́телен (isklučítelen) — one of a kind
  • Māori: ahurei — one of a kind
  • Māori: tūhāhā — one of a kind
  • Norwegian Bokmål: unik — one of a kind
  • Old English: ænlic — one of a kind
  • Ossetian: иунӕт (iwnæt) — one of a kind
  • Persian: یکتا (yektâ) — one of a kind
  • Persian: بیمانند (bi-mânand) — one of a kind
  • Persian: منحصربفرد (monhaserbefard) — one of a kind
  • Polish: unikalny — one of a kind
  • Polish: niepowtarzalny — one of a kind
  • Polish: unikatowy — one of a kind
  • Polish: wyjątkowy — one of a kind
  • Portuguese: único — one of a kind
  • Romanian: unic — one of a kind
  • Russian: уника́льный (unikálʹnyj) — one of a kind
  • Russian: исключи́тельный (isključítelʹnyj) — one of a kind
  • Russian: еди́нственный (jedínstvennyj) — one of a kind
  • Russian: неповтори́мый (nepovtorímyj) — one of a kind
  • Scottish Gaelic: àraidh — one of a kind
  • Scottish Gaelic: air leth — one of a kind
  • Serbo-Croatian: једѝнствен — one of a kind
  • Serbo-Croatian: jedìnstven — one of a kind
  • Sindhi: منفرد (mufarid) — one of a kind
  • Slovak: jedinečný — one of a kind
  • Slovak: unikátny — one of a kind
  • Slovene: edinstven — one of a kind
  • Spanish: único — one of a kind
  • Spanish: señero — one of a kind
  • Swedish: unik — one of a kind
  • Swedish: enastående — one of a kind
  • Tajik: беҳамто (behamto) — one of a kind
  • Tajik: ягона (yagona) — one of a kind
  • Tajik: беназир (benazir) — one of a kind
  • Tajik: нодир (nodir) — one of a kind
  • Turkish: benzersiz — one of a kind
  • Turkish: eşsiz — one of a kind
  • Turkish: özgün — one of a kind
  • Turkish: ünik — one of a kind
  • Ukrainian: уніка́льний (unikálʹnyj) — one of a kind
  • Ukrainian: єди́ний (jedýnyj) — one of a kind
  • Ukrainian: неповто́рний (nepovtórnyj) — one of a kind
  • Uzbek: noyob — one of a kind
  • Uzbek: nodir — one of a kind
  • Vietnamese: duy nhất — one of a kind
  • Vietnamese: độc nhất — one of a kind
  • Vietnamese: độc nhất vô nhị — one of a kind
  • Vietnamese: có một không hai — one of a kind
  • Welsh: unigryw — one of a kind
  • Bulgarian: уникален (unikalen) — (of a feature)
  • Italian: singolare — (of a feature)
  • Italian: speciale — (of a feature)
  • Italian: originale — (of a feature)
  • Macedonian: исклучи́телен (isklučítelen) — (of a feature)
  • Persian: تک (tak) — (of a feature)
Real reading context

unique in complete knowledge articles