extraordinary

adjective

ik-ˈstrȯr-də-ˌner-ē How to pronounce extraordinary (audio)
Definition of extraordinarynext
1
as in unusual
being out of the ordinary the marine is being cited for extraordinary courage

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in uncommon
noticeably different from what is generally found or experienced no one noticed anything extraordinary about the airline passenger

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 extraordinary Even after the United States invaded Afghanistan, killed or captured senior al Qaeda figures and put the organization under extraordinary pressure, the group continued attempting to find ways back into the homeland. — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 11 Sep. 2026 Others have made a special visit, drawn by the extraordinary architecture and design of the former International Departures Terminal, a Modernist time capsule dating back to 1959. — Nicola Chilton, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Sep. 2026 In the end, however, Missouri appears poised to use in November a map lawmakers passed in 2022, an extraordinary development that bolsters Cleaver’s chances of reelection and strikes a blow to Trump. — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2026 Obviously, Pierce and I have an extraordinary chemistry on-screen and off-screen. — Jake Kanter, Deadline, 11 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for extraordinary
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extraordinary
  1. unusual
  2. uncommon
  3. exceptional
  4. strange
  5. unique
  6. funny
  7. rare
  8. weird
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
  • 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
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
  • In a strange quirk of the 2026-27 fixture list, Leeds have been sent to the scenes of those crimes in quick succession once again.
    — Beren Cross, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • In short, unruly crowds, strange smells, intrusive noise and late nights are not unique inventions of the TikTok era.
    — Douglas Robson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of strange
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
  • Occasionally, this appeared to be in jest (although not actually very funny).
    — Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Mulligan should win for her darkly funny, cringe-inducing turn, though Snook, Pidgeon and sentimental favorite Field are all in play too.
    — Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of funny
Adjective
  • While Champions League football is synonymous with Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, the start of the season offers the rare quirk of all 18 opening league phase fixtures being equally distributed across three nights.
    — Leon Imber, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Martha has the rare superhuman instincts required to keep both the class and the mess in harmonious balance, and watching her walk into RHONY is like watching a prima ballerina lead an elementary-school dance class.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of rare
Adjective
  • But the weird stuff came behind the bench, where the Oilers sure seemed to want to hire Bruce Cassidy, only to be blocked by Vegas.
    — Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
  • Everyone in town thinks the aunts are weird as hell, but who cares?
    — Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of weird

Browse Nearby Words

extraordinariness
extraordinary
extrapolate
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Cite this Entry

“Extraordinary.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extraordinary. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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