atypical

adjective

(ˌ)ā-ˈti-pi-kəl How to pronounce atypical (audio)
Definition of atypicalnext
1
as in unusual
being out of the ordinary the postal service delivered the package with atypical speed

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in abnormal
departing from some accepted standard of what is normal since that's an atypical response for an infant, you might want to have her hearing tested

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of atypical Others may present with atypical symptoms that do not fit neatly into diagnostic categories. — Jamie Maguire, STAT, 12 Aug. 2026 She's run an energetic grassroots campaign, buoyed by progressive voters inspired by her atypical political background and left-wing politics. — Clay Masters, NPR, 11 Aug. 2026 Al-Ahli released an atypical official statement questioning the officiating of one game in April. — Adrian Elimian, semafor.com, 30 July 2026 And beyond the color treatment, the sneaker also plays with premium materials and textures in a fashion that’s atypical for the 1990 retro shoe. — Riley Jones, Footwear News, 26 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for atypical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for atypical
  1. unusual
  2. abnormal
  3. extraordinary
  4. unnatural
  5. exceptional
  6. unique
  7. rare
  8. uncommon
Adjective
  • If a machine encounters something unusual or gets stuck, someone monitoring the fleet can briefly intervene until the autonomous system is ready to take back over.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2026
  • The changes occurred amid an unusual rollout of the blog post.
    — Emily Forlini, Fortune, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of unusual
Adjective
  • Department staff searched for the otter to assess whether the animal was still in the area or displaying any abnormal or concerning behavior, Margiott said.
    — Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • An abnormal increase in a protein called sFlt-1 (soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1), which slows down placental growth, Kilpatrick says.
    — Megha Satyanarayana, Scientific American, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of abnormal
Adjective
  • However, the extraordinary part is putting it all together, delivering 100 MW net, fitting the system aboard a movable ship, and doing it for $587 million.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 Sep. 2026
  • In this state, the fluid gains extraordinary heat capacity and flow properties, carrying more thermal energy to the surface with minimal flow resistance.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of extraordinary
Adjective
  • When my husband comes home and stands in front of the refrigerator stuffed with bags of mulberry leaves, his face takes on an unnatural look.
    — Jonathan Flint, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Berry shunned the unnatural world whenever, and however possible.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of unnatural
Adjective
  • Engineered around Qualcomm’s flagship 12-core Snapdragon X Elite processor, this Surface laptop delivers exceptional processing speed with whisper-quiet thermal efficiency.
    — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 6 Sep. 2026
  • That golden brown exterior tasted exceptional, but eating it came with some hurdles.
    — Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of exceptional
Adjective
  • Major European partners are on board as well, including Xilam, pushing French high-end, unique animation series beyond its borders.
    — Kevin Giraud, Variety, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The comedic play, which is set at a silent retreat, has the unique convention of having the majority of its characters barely speak, and rather rely on their physicality.
    — Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of unique
Adjective
  • On September 1, Claire Stoermer shared a rare childhood photo of her daughter to celebrate the milestone.
    — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 2 Sep. 2026
  • If the event detected by this team was caused by the rare interaction between two WIMPs, this would tell scientists some things about these currently hypothetical particles.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of rare
Adjective
  • Lucas says shootings involving immigration officers are not uncommon, and under this administration alone, there have been more than 20.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Pooling of sea water is possible around high tide at beach areas that is uncommon with normal tidal ranges.
    — CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of uncommon

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Cite this Entry

“Atypical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/atypical. Accessed 9 Sep. 2026.

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