Definition of UNIQUE

Choose the Right Synonym for unique

strange, singular, unique, peculiar, eccentric, erratic, odd, quaint, outlandish mean departing from what is ordinary, usual, or to be expected. strange stresses unfamiliarity and may apply to the foreign, the unnatural, the unaccountable. a journey filled with strange sights singular suggests individuality or puzzling strangeness. a singular feeling of impending disaster unique implies singularity and the fact of being without a known parallel. a career unique in the annals of science peculiar implies a marked distinctiveness. the peculiar status of America's first lady eccentric suggests a wide divergence from the usual or normal especially in behavior. the eccentric eating habits of preschoolers erratic stresses a capricious and unpredictable wandering or deviating. a friend's suddenly erratic behavior odd applies to a departure from the regular or expected. an odd sense of humor quaint suggests an old-fashioned but pleasant oddness. a quaint fishing village outlandish applies to what is uncouth, bizarre, or barbaric. outlandish fashions of the time

Can something be very unique or somewhat unique?: Usage Guide

Many commentators have objected to the comparison or modification (as by somewhat or very) of unique, often asserting that a thing is either unique or it is not. Objections are based chiefly on the assumption that unique has but a single absolute sense, an assumption contradicted by information readily available in a dictionary. Unique dates back to the 17th century but was little used until the end of the 18th when, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, it was reacquired from French. H. J. Todd entered it as a foreign word in his edition (1818) of Johnson's Dictionary, characterizing it as "affected and useless." Around the middle of the 19th century it ceased to be considered foreign and came into considerable popular use. With popular use came a broadening of application beyond the original two meanings (here numbered senses 1 and 2a). In modern use both comparison and modification are widespread and standard but are confined to the extended senses 2b and 3. When sense 1 or sense 2a is intended, unique is used without qualifying modifiers.

Examples of unique in a Sentence

There are no clear blueprints to be discovered in history that can help us shape the future as we wish. Each historical event is a unique congeries of factors, people, or chronology. — Margaret McMillan, Dangerous Games, 2008 [Tiger] Wood's unique skill set was on display again at last week's U.S. Open, but this victory was more visceral. It was all heart. — Alan Shipnuck, Sports Illustrated, 23 June 2008 Space is a strange and unique item—you can't take it to a lab and analyze it like beef jerky. — Bob Berman, Astronomy, November 2007 A century ago a doctor was considered to be part of a social elite. He—and medicine was then very much a masculine endeavor—had a unique mastery of a special body of knowledge. He professed a commitment to levels of competence and integrity that he expected society to respect and trust. — Richard Horton, New York Review of Books, 31 May 2007 Most stars are not born in isolation but instead in groups of several thousand to tens of thousands, all of which emerge from the same parent cloud of gas. Each cloud has a unique and homogeneous mix of chemical elements and isotopes, which its stellar progeny inherits. Even when the stars disperse, they retain their unique chemical tag … — Rodrigo Ibata et al., Scientific American, April 2007 As a dozen new books will testify, our nation is in the midst of a great barbecue renaissance, with each region proudly claiming its own unique style. — Ruth Reichl, Gourmet, July 2005 She's in the unique position of running for office against her husband. Humans are unique among mammals in several respects.

Recent Examples on the Web

Armstrong’s family, unhappy in its own unique, Tolstoyan way, is also the stuff of classical tragedy, riddled with monsters and fated for hell. — Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, "Succession Is Better Than Ever," 11 Aug. 2019 No longer is Womack so unique, at least when including the entire roster. — Michael Casagrande | Mcasagrande@al.com, al, "The challenge of being a 6-7 offensive guard," 9 Aug. 2019 In its latest effort to fulfill the unique healthcare needs of female patients across Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati, St. Elizabeth opened the doors of its new Women’s Health Center on June 11. — St. Elizabeth Healthcare, Cincinnati.com, "Convenient, comprehensive women’s care in the Northern Kentucky Community," 9 Aug. 2019 Behind #NedPeppersBar in #daytonohio - shoes left behind as victims fled pic.twitter.com/RUCgvz6Vcy — Jennifer Brett (@Jennifer__Brett) August 5, 2019 The tragedies are similar yet unique, all terrible in newly terrible ways. — Jennifer Brett, ajc, "‘A club no one wants to be a part of’," 9 Aug. 2019 Wilson has accepted the challenge to adapt Harford County’s physical education curriculum to her students’ unique needs and abilities. — Erika Butler, baltimoresun.com, "Three Harford public school teachers presented Golden Apple Awards from FFCU," 8 Aug. 2019 This technique, known as a generative adversarial networks (GAN), is the purest form of deepfake, conjuring up images that are entirely unique, not just using machine learning to mash existing photos together. — The Economist, "What is a deepfake?," 7 Aug. 2019 But people with disabilities have unique needs, and are often left out of the diversity conversations entirely. — Bill “trouble” Krebs, Quartz, "Election candidates are ignoring a key demographic—and it’s going to cost them," 5 Aug. 2019 This isn’t totally unique to Euphoria, as shows about teenagers are much better in their treatment of teenage girls than most TV has been in the past. — Alice Lesperance, Teen Vogue, "Euphoria's Kat Is Not the Fat Teenage Girl Trope You've Seen Before," 5 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'unique.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.