atypical

adjective

atyp·​i·​cal (ˌ)ā-ˈti-pi-kəl 

1

: not typical : irregular, unusual

an atypical form of a disease

atypical weather for this area

2

medical : relating to or being an antipsychotic drug (such as risperidone) that tends to produce fewer adverse side effects on movement (such as dyskinesia) than previously used antipsychotic drugs (such as haloperidol)

Atypical antipsychotics work more precisely, manipulating both dopamine and serotonin and suppressing symptoms without causing so many associated problems.

—Jeffrey Kluger

atypicality

ˌā-ˌti-pə-ˈka-lə-tē 

noun

plural atypicalities

atypically

(ˌ)ā-ˈti-pi-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• aberrant
• aberrated
• abnormal
• anomalous
• especial
• exceeding
• exceptional
• extraordinaire
• extraordinary
• freak
• odd
• peculiar
• phenomenal
• preternatural
• rare
• singular
• uncommon
• uncustomary
• unique
• unusual
• unwonted

Examples of atypical in a Sentence

the postal service delivered the package with atypical speed

since that's an atypical response for an infant, you might want to have her hearing tested

Recent Examples on the Web

The long-range forecast for May doesn’t shows further atypical temperatures or rainfall — highs are forecast to creep back up and rain should become infrequent. —Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024

The atypical stone ruins dated to the third century A.D., the institute said. —Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2024

And the length of my tenure is not atypical of past directors. —Byadrian Cho, science.org, 1 Apr. 2024

What made the trilogy so stunning and atypical as a sci-fi story was the fact that Liu wasn’t interested in interrogating whether humans deserved to survive. —Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 23 Mar. 2024

The White House’s speedy watershed decision to move the bill forward is atypical as some bills sit for several months, and underscores the legislature’s eagerness regarding the matter. —Jasmine Browley, Essence, 14 Mar. 2024

What started as an atypical rescue on a Georgia road ended with a social media-worthy selfie. —Tanasia Kenney, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2024

This atypical Western focuses more on character development than gunplay, and the shootout at the climax ends in a surprisingly satisfying way. —Danny Horn, EW.com, 9 Apr. 2024

Occasional incorrectly reported, atypical home sales and special circumstances may be listed or alter the average cost per square foot. —Bay Area News Group, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

see typical

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing atypical

• primary atypical pneumonia

Kids Definition

atypical

adjective

atyp·​i·​cal (ˈ)ā-ˈtip-i-kəl 

: not typical : irregular

atypically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Medical Definition

atypical

1 of 2 adjective

atyp·​i·​cal (ˈ)ā-ˈtip-i-kəl 

1

: not typical : not like the usual or normal type

The procedure, ductal lavage, washes cells from the milk ducts, where 95 percent of breast cancers start. Tests can then be performed to look for atypical or abnormal cells.

—Judith Groch, The New York Times

The results of treatment of patients with gallstones are less successful in individuals with atypical pain patterns or painless dyspepsia …

—The Journal of the American Medical Association

In some patients with atypical dysgenesis, the smear may show slight proliferation.

—George L Wied et al., Compendium on Diagnostic Cytology

2

: relating to or being an antipsychotic drug (such as aripiprazole and risperidone) that tends to produce fewer adverse side effects on movement (such as akathisia or dyskinesia) than previously used antipsychotic drugs (such as haloperidol)

Atypical antipsychotics work more precisely, manipulating both dopamine and serotonin and suppressing symptoms without causing so many associated problems.

—Jeffrey Kluger, Time

Although studies indicated that the atypical drugs are similar to the conventional drugs in reducing psychotic symptoms and produce few neurologic effects, the evidence of their superior efficacy has been neither consistent nor robust …

—Jeffrey A. Lieberman et al., The New England Journal of Medicine

atypically

(ˈ)ā-ˈtip-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Atypically depressed patients often show a different clinical picture from those with "classical" major depression.

—Ronald Pies, The New York Times

atypical

2 of 2 noun

: an atypical antipsychotic drug (see atypical entry 1 sense 2)

Her 24-year-old daughter, diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1993, had problems with two types of atypicals before a third proved successful.

—Stephaan Harris, USA Today