Standard Lemma guide

unusual

adj · noun · 5 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.

  • /ʌnˈjuːʒ(u)əl/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: AH0 N Y UW1 ZH UW2 AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: AH0 N Y UW1 ZH W AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Not usual, out of the ordinary.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Every once in a while, though, Idol comes across an unusual talent who just blows everyone away.
  • It’s definitely not unusual for a couple to meet through friends or be set up on a date.
  • His behavior was unusual in that it was considered childish for a man of his age.
  • I’ve had no problem with female docs. I’ve had some – how should I say it – unusual experiences with a couple of male ones. And I have heard from girlfriends about their unusual experiences as well.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: uncommon, rare, extraordinary, remarkable, aberrant, abnormal, alien, anomalous, as queer as Dick's hatband, bizarre, booky, curious, deviant, discrepant, eerie, eldritch, errant, exceptional, fey, forby, freak, freakish, freaky, fremd, funny, heteroclite, hinky, incongruous, incongruitous, irregular, kooky, monstrous, nonstandard, odd, outlandish, out of the ordinary, outré, peculiar, quaint, queer, queer as a clockwork orange, queer as a nine bob note, queer as a three dollar bill, queer as a coot, queer as Dick's hatband, rum, rummy, selcouth, seld, singular, strange, trippy, uncanny, uncouth, unconventional, unearthly, unexpected, unreasonable, unusual, unwonted, weird, weirdsome, yampy

Antonyms: normal, usual, common, ordinary

2

noun

Meaning 2

Something that is unusual; an anomaly.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adjective

Meaning 3

not usual or common or ordinary

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a scene of unusual beauty
  • a man of unusual ability
  • cruel and unusual punishment
  • an unusual meteorite

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: usual

4

adjective

Meaning 4

being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • a strange exaltation that was indefinable
  • a strange fantastical mind
  • what a strange sense of humor she has

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: strange

Antonyms: none provided

5

adjective satellite

Meaning 5

not commonly encountered

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • two-career families are no longer unusual

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From un- + usual.

Across languages

Translations

62 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: արտասովոր (artasovor) — not usual
  • Belarusian: нязвы́чны (njazvýčny) — not usual
  • Belarusian: нязвы́клы (njazvýkly) — not usual
  • Bulgarian: необикновен (neobiknoven) — not usual
  • Catalan: inusual — not usual
  • Chinese Mandarin: 稀有 (xīyǒu) — not usual
  • Czech: neobvyklý — not usual
  • Danish: usædvanlig — not usual
  • Dutch: ongebruikelijk — not usual
  • Dutch: ongewoon — not usual
  • Esperanto: nekutima — not usual
  • Esperanto: neordinara — not usual
  • Estonian: veider — not usual
  • Finnish: erikoinen — not usual
  • Finnish: epätavallinen — not usual
  • French: inhabituel — not usual
  • French: insolite — not usual
  • Georgian: უჩვეულო (učveulo) — not usual
  • German: ungewöhnlich — not usual
  • German: unüblich — not usual
  • German: ungebräuchlich — not usual
  • Greek: ασυνήθιστος (asyníthistos) — not usual
  • Ancient Greek: ἀήθης (aḗthēs) — not usual
  • Ancient Greek: ἄτοπος (átopos) — not usual
  • Hungarian: szokatlan — not usual
  • Italian: insolito — not usual
  • Italian: particolare — not usual
  • Italian: inusuale — not usual
  • Japanese: 珍しい (mezurashii) — not usual
  • Latin: ēnormis — not usual
  • Latin: insuētus — not usual
  • Latin: insolens — not usual
  • Latvian: neparasts — not usual
  • Latvian: svešāds — not usual
  • Latvian: savāds — not usual
  • Lithuanian: neįprastas — not usual
  • Macedonian: нео́бичен (neóbičen) — not usual
  • Manx: neuoayllagh — not usual
  • Manx: neuchadjin — not usual
  • Norwegian Bokmål: uvanlig — not usual
  • Old English: unġewunelīċ — not usual
  • Plautdietsch: besonda — not usual
  • Polish: niezwykły — not usual
  • Polish: niecodzienny — not usual
  • Polish: niezwyczajny — not usual
  • Portuguese: inesperado — not usual
  • Portuguese: inusual — not usual
  • Romanian: ciudat — not usual
  • Romanian: insolit — not usual
  • Romanian: neobișnuit — not usual
  • Russian: необы́чный (neobýčnyj) — not usual
  • Russian: необыкнове́нный (neobyknovénnyj) — not usual
  • Saraiki: اَݨہوْوَݨاں (aṇhovaṇāṉ) — not usual
  • Southern Altai: ӱренбеген (ürenbegen) — not usual
  • Spanish: inusual — not usual
  • Spanish: inusitado — not usual
  • Swedish: ovanlig — not usual
  • Turkish: alışılmadık — not usual
  • Turkish: olağandışı — not usual
  • Ukrainian: незви́чний (nezvýčnyj) — not usual
  • Ukrainian: незвича́йний (nezvyčájnyj) — not usual
  • Urdu: غیر معمولی (ġair ma'mūlī) — not usual
Real reading context

unusual in complete knowledge articles