1
: being the only one : sole
Their unique concern was their own comfort.
I can't walk away with a unique copy. Suppose I lost it?—
Kingsley Amis
Kingsley Amisthe unique factorization of a number into prime factors
2
a
: being without a like or equal : unlike anything or anyone else : unequaled
The shape of every snowflake is unique.
Established as a settlement of free Black men and women in the early 1800s, it is believed to be the first and oldest such community in the state. But that is not all that makes this out-of-the-way place unique.—Jonathan M. Pitts
Jonathan M. Pitts
b
: distinctively characteristic : peculiar sense 1
a species unique to a region
These problems are not unique to our city.
c
: able to be distinguished from all others of its class or type : distinct sense 1
… patients, health plans, and providers would all have a unique identifier to use in standard transactions …—Greg Freeman
Greg FreemanThe site sees an average of 227 million unique users per month …—West Hartford (Connecticut) News
West Hartford (Connecticut) News3
: very special or notable : unusual
in a unique position
… it is true that this degree of officialism is comparatively unique …—G. K. Chesterton
G. K. Chesterton"A very unique child," thought I, as I viewed her sleeping countenance …—Charlotte Brontë
Charlotte Brontë… some of the most unique pieces of artwork and folk art you're bound to see dotting the landscape.—Nathan Tavares
Nathan Tavares
uniquely
adverb
uniqueness
noun
Can something be very unique or somewhat unique?: Usage Guide
Unique is often cited as a word that should never be modified by terms like somewhat or very. The thinking is that unique properly only describes what is unequaled or otherwise distinct from all others. Just as something cannot be more "only" than another, it cannot be more unique than another. This logic fails, however, when we consider that unique can also mean "unusual" or "rare," as in "a unique opportunity" or "a unique feature." In these cases, phrases like "very unique" are standard.
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.
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
We, in collaboration with our partners, store and/or access information on a user's device, including but not limited to IP addresses, unique identifiers, and browsing data stored in cookies, in order to process personal data.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 31 Oct. 2025
The fear of a curse has created a unique market for bargain-hunting investors and tenants who are happy to try their luck.
—Chris Lau, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
Looking ahead, Allen wants to work on creating more unique designs in more than a one-off capacity through collaborative capsule collections with various artisans or designers.
—Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 31 Oct. 2025
Financial roadblocks standing in the way Many are navigating a unique economic moment where both median home and rental prices, for example, have risen at a faster pace than wages for roughly two decades.
—Elena Moore, NPR, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unique
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 31 Oct. 2025
The fear of a curse has created a unique market for bargain-hunting investors and tenants who are happy to try their luck.
—Chris Lau, CNN Money, 31 Oct. 2025
Looking ahead, Allen wants to work on creating more unique designs in more than a one-off capacity through collaborative capsule collections with various artisans or designers.
—Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 31 Oct. 2025
Financial roadblocks standing in the way Many are navigating a unique economic moment where both median home and rental prices, for example, have risen at a faster pace than wages for roughly two decades.
—Elena Moore, NPR, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for unique
Cite this Entry
“Unique.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unique. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unique
adjective1
a
: being the only one of its kind
b
2
: very unusual : notable
his talent is unique
3
: being the one and only possible result of one or more mathematical operations
a unique solution
also
: having only one possible result
addition of integers is unique
uniquely
adverb
uniqueness
noun
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