uncharacteristic

adjective

un·​char·​ac·​ter·​is·​tic ˌən-ˌker-ik-tə-ˈri-stik 

-ˌka-rik-

: not characteristic : not typical or distinctive

uncharacteristic outbursts of temper

uncharacteristically

ˌən-ˌker-ik-tə-ˈri-sti-k(ə-)lē 

-ˌka-rik-

adverb

Examples of uncharacteristic in a Sentence

It was an uncharacteristic outburst of temper.

Her uncharacteristic silence bothered me.

Recent Examples on the Web

Their main rival for gold, reigning world champion Finley Melville Ives of New Zealand, made an uncharacteristic error to fall on his first run. —Andrew Greif, NBC news, 20 Feb. 2026

The American trio of Liu, Glenn, and Isabeau Levito, who finished 12th after an uncharacteristic fall, will likely have a far more lasting impact on the culture of figure skating. —Alice Park, Time, 20 Feb. 2026

Levito had an uncharacteristic tumble and fell to 12th overall. —Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 19 Feb. 2026

Davis has since admitted the uncharacteristic miss — the ball hit the front rim, back rim and side rim again before rolling off — negatively impacted him for weeks. —Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1748, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for uncharacteristic

• deuteronomistic
• imperialistic
• materialistic
• nondeterministic
• nonrelativistic
• oligopolistic
• particularistic
• sociolinguistic
• universalistic
• agonistic
• altruistic
• animistic