sin·gu·lar
ˈsiŋ-gyə-lər 
1
a
: of or relating to a separate person or thing : individual
b
: of, relating to, or being a word form denoting one person, thing, or instance
a singular noun
c
: of or relating to a single instance or to something considered by itself
2
: distinguished by superiority : exceptional
an artist of singular attainments
3
: being out of the ordinary : unusual
on the way home we had a singular adventure
5
a
of a matrix
: having a determinant equal to zero
b
of a linear transformation
: having the property that the matrix of coefficients of the new variables has a determinant equal to zero
singularly
adverb
1
: the singular number, the inflectional form denoting it, or a word in that form
2
: a singular term
Synonyms
Examples of singular in a Sentence
Adjective
In the phrase “his car is red,” the word “car” is a singular noun.
He had a singular appearance.
Recent Examples on the Web
Tiana Randall, Vogue, 29 Apr. 2024
In an singular move, the departing Calhoun endorses Stephanie Pope
Despite calling for a radical change in direction post-January 5, Calhoun grasped Boeing’s Q1 earnings announcement as an opportunity to back Pope as the right choice to pilot Boeing.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 27 Apr. 2024
The deceptively plain style calls to mind Jacques Tati, a great director and also a great mime whose singular screen presence in his own movies is inextricable from the exactness of his direction.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2024
After the draft ends, a ceremonial football will travel to Muskegon, Mich.; board the Lake Express ferry; cross Lake Michigan to Milwaukee; and then head north to the site of next year’s draft, Green Bay, the smallest N.F.L. market but a singular one.
—Ken Belson, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2024
Reynolds talks about sports being a singular connection with his emotionally distant father.
—Jennifer McClellan, USA TODAY, 25 Apr. 2024
Welcome to the mind of Jim Henson, a singular creative visionary, from his early years as a puppeteer on local television to the worldwide success of Sesame Street, The Muppet Show and more.
—Pat Saperstein, Variety, 25 Apr. 2024
The color, which took a week to dye, was far from a singular occurrence.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 22 Apr. 2024
There is no need for either side to submit to the other’s narrative or to admit their own singular culpability.
—Ziad Asali, The Atlantic, 17 Apr. 2024
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 25 Jan. 2024
But in his singular — at times, prohibitive — focus on the threat posed by China, Colby downgrades the significance of seemingly every other American strategic priority.
—Noah Rothman, National Review, 23 Jan. 2024
The truck’s unusual design and construction, which consists of angular stainless steel and that giant singular wipe blade, have been frequently cited as being to blame for its lengthy development.
—Jon Porter, The Verge, 2 Oct. 2023
For the first two hours, audiences get Diaz’s singular take on a detective story, suspecting that there can be no satisfying resolution to such a case — or countless others in real life.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 12 Aug. 2023
Down near the park, Susuru still sings for skewers, as does its new sibling, Juju — though each izakaya offers its own singular delights.
—Amy Drew Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 24 Feb. 2023
The former's singular, PEN/Faulkner Award-winning novel Behold the Dreamers concerns the collapse of Lehman Brothers; the latter has written three books centered largely on Pan-American communities.
—Seija Rankin, EW.com, 9 Mar. 2021
But the Jazz found the convincing means by which to keep the former singular and the latter plural, getting a second huge victory in three days.
—Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 22 Aug. 2020
Adjective
Seeing the waves of design on Keys’ head woven down to the length of her ear, and sometimes braided in an unconventional practice, like one singular braid falling down to the middle of her forehead, showed me that my hair could be as much of an accessory as a name-plate necklace.
—Tiana Randall, Vogue, 29 Apr. 2024
In an singular move, the departing Calhoun endorses Stephanie Pope
Despite calling for a radical change in direction post-January 5, Calhoun grasped Boeing’s Q1 earnings announcement as an opportunity to back Pope as the right choice to pilot Boeing.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 27 Apr. 2024
The deceptively plain style calls to mind Jacques Tati, a great director and also a great mime whose singular screen presence in his own movies is inextricable from the exactness of his direction.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2024
After the draft ends, a ceremonial football will travel to Muskegon, Mich.; board the Lake Express ferry; cross Lake Michigan to Milwaukee; and then head north to the site of next year’s draft, Green Bay, the smallest N.F.L. market but a singular one.
—Ken Belson, New York Times, 25 Apr. 2024
Reynolds talks about sports being a singular connection with his emotionally distant father.
—Jennifer McClellan, USA TODAY, 25 Apr. 2024
Welcome to the mind of Jim Henson, a singular creative visionary, from his early years as a puppeteer on local television to the worldwide success of Sesame Street, The Muppet Show and more.
—Pat Saperstein, Variety, 25 Apr. 2024
The color, which took a week to dye, was far from a singular occurrence.
—India Espy-Jones, Essence, 22 Apr. 2024
There is no need for either side to submit to the other’s narrative or to admit their own singular culpability.
—Ziad Asali, The Atlantic, 17 Apr. 2024
Noun
Fortunately, though the show participated in Under the Radar, director Dmitry Krymov’s singular take on the most beloved Russian book by the most beloved Russian writer is still playing at BRIC through January 28.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 25 Jan. 2024
But in his singular — at times, prohibitive — focus on the threat posed by China, Colby downgrades the significance of seemingly every other American strategic priority.
—Noah Rothman, National Review, 23 Jan. 2024
The truck’s unusual design and construction, which consists of angular stainless steel and that giant singular wipe blade, have been frequently cited as being to blame for its lengthy development.
—Jon Porter, The Verge, 2 Oct. 2023
For the first two hours, audiences get Diaz’s singular take on a detective story, suspecting that there can be no satisfying resolution to such a case — or countless others in real life.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 12 Aug. 2023
Down near the park, Susuru still sings for skewers, as does its new sibling, Juju — though each izakaya offers its own singular delights.
—Amy Drew Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 24 Feb. 2023
The former's singular, PEN/Faulkner Award-winning novel Behold the Dreamers concerns the collapse of Lehman Brothers; the latter has written three books centered largely on Pan-American communities.
—Seija Rankin, EW.com, 9 Mar. 2021
But the Jazz found the convincing means by which to keep the former singular and the latter plural, getting a second huge victory in three days.
—Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 22 Aug. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'singular.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to singular
Dictionary Entries Near singular
Cite this Entry
“Singular.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/singular. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
singular
1 of 2 adjective
sin·gu·lar
ˈsiŋ-gyə-lər
1
a
: of or relating to a separate person or thing : individual
b
: of, relating to, or constituting a word form denoting one person, thing, or instance
a singular noun
c
: of or relating to a single instance or to something considered by itself
3
: different from general expectations : peculiar
singularly
adverb
singular
2 of 2 noun
: something that is singular
especially
: the singular number, the inflectional form denoting it, or a word in that form
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