UNUSUAL Synonyms: 75 Similar and Opposite Words

unusual

adjective

ˌən-ˈyü-zhə-wəl

Definition of unusual

as in uncommon

noticeably different from what is generally found or experienced we found some unusual shells by the high-tide mark while combing the beach

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in extraordinary

being out of the ordinary the famously arrogant actor accepted his award with unusual grace and humility

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 unusual That was an unusual decision, and there will be some more talk about that later, potentially. — AJC.com, 25 Sep. 2026 The unusual discovery was announced by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 25 Sep. 2026 The unusual sighting comes as police maintain heightened security in areas surrounding the United Nations General Assembly, which has brought world leaders and international delegations to New York City this week. — ABC News, 24 Sep. 2026 But there was also something just sort of unusual and dark and strange about it. — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for unusual

Recent Examples of Synonyms for unusual

Adjective

Suicide, unfortunately, is not uncommon among the young, and in fact, several sources have noted a recent rash of these tragedies in the Aurora community.

— Denise Crosby, Chicago Tribune, 24 Sep. 2026
Bell said doctors told him that those symptoms are not uncommon for athletes who have returned from ACL injuries.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of uncommon

Adjective

Movies bring audiences across the country the unique magic of sitting with their neighbors to see extraordinary stories told on the big screen at their local cinema.

— Paul Gunsky, IndieWire, 25 Sep. 2026
Speed At All Costs The cars of the early 1990s were extraordinary machines, bristling with active suspension and aerodynamic wizardry.

— Jessica Vitiritti, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of extraordinary

Adjective

The reunion becomes even stranger when Constance prepares for a dark holiday celebration, with Kai Anderson (Evan Peters) from Cult helping decorate a black Christmas tree topped with a pentagram.

— Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 25 Sep. 2026
The public wiki case offers a particularly strange example of the problem.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of strange

Adjective

This unique propagation gives rise to wave trajectories with directional rotation, or handedness, which dictates whether paths rotate clockwise or counterclockwise.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 28 Sep. 2026
Season two goes a little differently than season one, because the music exec in charge of casting the show (Ashley Padilla) is being lightly blackmailed by two … unique candidates (Jane Wickline and new cast member Grace Reiter).

— Bethy Squires, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of unique

Adjective

Peppino Mazzullo, the Italian actor who provided the voice for the mouse puppet Topo Gigio, best known for his frequent, funny appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, died Wednesday.

— Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026
While Eisenman’s works are funny at first glance, a nuanced narrative, interweaving the personal and political, can usually be teased out of them.

— Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of funny

Adjective

The machines typically used to compress fuel must deliver enormous bursts of energy with exceptional precision.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2026
The formula’s lead ingredient, soybean ferment extract, is an exceptional resurfacing agent—improving skin’s texture, tone, and radiance without any harsh side effects.

— Kiana Murden, Vogue, 25 Sep. 2026

Definition of exceptional

Adjective

Read Cep’s Profile of Kingsolver » Our editors and critics choose the most captivating, notable, brilliant, surprising, absorbing, weird, thought-provoking, and talked-about books.

— Casey Cep, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2026
Why is this weird, scammy product now the biggest monster in the room?

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of weird

Adjective

Sarah Patton, a Compass agent familiar with the buildings, says that a few years ago, when hundreds of units were being marketed downtown, some buildings were making deals, but that’s rare.

— Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 29 Sep. 2026
Since then researchers have discovered that the Epstein-Barr virus, which is known to cause cancers such as nasal pharyngeal cancers and some forms of lymphoma, is also linked to some stomach cancers and some rarer lymphomas, Clifford says.

— Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of rare

Browse Nearby Words

unused

unusual

unusually

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Unusual.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/unusual. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of unusual

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

heterodox

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes