unusual

un·u·su·al

(ŭn-yo͞o′zho͞o-əl)

adj.

Not usual, common, or ordinary.

un·u′su·al·ly adv.

un·u′su·al·ness n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

unusual

(ʌnˈjuːʒʊəl)

adj

out of the ordinary; uncommon; extraordinary: an unusual design.

unˈusually adv

unˈusualness n

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

un•u•su•al

(ʌnˈyu ʒu əl, -ˈyuʒ wəl)

adj.

not usual or ordinary; uncommon.

[1575–85]

un•u′su•al•ly, adv.

un•u′su•al•ness, n.

strange

– unusual

1. 'strange'

You use strange to say that something is unfamiliar or unexpected in a way that makes you puzzled, uneasy, or afraid.

The strange thing was that she didn't remember anything about the evening.

It was strange to hear her voice again.

2. 'unusual'

If you just want to say that something is not common, you use unusual, not 'strange'.

He had an unusual name.

It is unusual for such a small hotel to have a restaurant.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Adj.	1.	unusual - not usual or common or ordinary; "a scene of unusual beauty"; "a man of unusual ability"; "cruel and unusual punishment"; "an unusual meteorite" uncommon - not common or ordinarily encountered; unusually great in amount or remarkable in character or kind; "uncommon birds"; "frost and floods are uncommon during these months"; "doing an uncommon amount of business"; "an uncommon liking for money"; "he owed his greatest debt to his mother's uncommon character and ability" usual - occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure; "grew the usual vegetables"; "the usual summer heat"; "came at the usual time"; "the child's usual bedtime"
	2.	unusual - being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird; "a strange exaltation that was indefinable"; "a strange fantastical mind"; "what a strange sense of humor she has" strange
	3.	unusual - not commonly encountered; "two-career families are no longer unusual" uncommon - not common or ordinarily encountered; unusually great in amount or remarkable in character or kind; "uncommon birds"; "frost and floods are uncommon during these months"; "doing an uncommon amount of business"; "an uncommon liking for money"; "he owed his greatest debt to his mother's uncommon character and ability"

unusual

adjective

1. rare, odd, strange, extraordinary, different, surprising, novel, bizarre, unexpected, curious, weird (informal), unfamiliar, abnormal, queer, phenomenal, uncommon, out of the ordinary, left-field (informal), unwonted rare and unusual plants
rare usual, familiar, routine, everyday, commonplace, common

2. extraordinary, unique, remarkable, exceptional, notable, phenomenal, uncommon, singular, unconventional, out of the ordinary, atypical He was an unusual man with great business talents.
extraordinary normal, typical, average, traditional, conventional, banal, unremarkable, common

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

unusual

adjective

1. Rarely occurring or appearing:

infrequent, occasional, rare, scarce, sporadic, uncommon.

Idiom: few and far between.

2. Not usual or ordinary:

atypic, atypical, novel, unconventional, unordinary, unwonted.

Slang: offbeat.

3. Deviating from the customary:

bizarre, cranky, curious, eccentric, erratic, freakish, idiosyncratic, odd, outlandish, peculiar, quaint, queer, quirky, singular, strange, unnatural, weird.

Slang: kooky, screwball.

British Slang: rum, rummy.

4. Far beyond what is usual, normal, or customary:

exceptional, extraordinary, magnificent, outstanding, preeminent, rare, remarkable, singular, towering, uncommon.

Informal: standout.

Slang: awesome, out of sight.

Translations

غَيْر عاديغَيْرُ عَادِيّ

neobvyklý

usædvanlig

ungewöhnlich außergewöhnlich

ασυνήθιστος

raro curioso excepcional extraño inhabitual

epätavallinen

inhabituel insolite prodigieux singulier exceptionnel

neobičan

óvenjulegur

insolito strano inconsueto

普通でない

유별난

neierastsneparasts

необычный непривычный необыкновенный

nenavaden

ovanlig

ผิดปรกติ

alışılmadıkgörülmedikolağandışı

khác thường

不寻常的不平常的

unusual

[ʌnˈjuːʒʊəl] ADJ

1. (= uncommon) [sight, circumstances, name] → poco común, poco corriente; [amount, number] → fuera de lo normal, fuera de lo corriente
the case has received an unusual amount of publicity → el caso ha recibido una cantidad de publicidad fuera de lo normal or lo corriente
here are some unusual gift ideas → aquí tiene unas ideas para regalos poco corrientes or que salen de lo corriente
I didn't feel hungry, which was unusual for me → no me sentía con hambre, lo cual era raro en mí
it's unusual for him to be late → no suele llegar tarde
it's not unusual to see snow in June here → no es raro ver nieve aquí en junio
there's nothing unusual in that → no hay nada de raro or extraordinario en ello

2. (= odd) → raro, extraño
don't you find it unusual that he never tells you where he's been? → ¿no te parece raro or extraño que nunca te diga dónde ha estado?

3. (= exceptional) → excepcional, poco común or corriente
a man of unusual intelligence → un hombre de inteligencia excepcional, un hombre de una inteligencia poco común or corriente

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

unusual

[ʌnˈjuːʒuəl] adj [shape, colour, name, gift, dress, circumstances, sight, place, combination] → peu commun(e); [plant, flower] → rare; [person] → peu commun(e)
nothing unusual → rien d'anormal
it's unusual to ... → il est rare de ...
It's unusual to get snow at this time of year → Il est rare qu'il neige à cette époque de l'année.

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

unusual

adj (= uncommon) → ungewöhnlich; (= exceptional) → außergewöhnlich; it’s unusual for him to be late → er kommt normalerweise nicht zu spät; that’s unusual for him → das ist sonst nicht seine Art; that’s not unusual for him → das wundert mich überhaupt nicht; it is unusual to see this → das ist ein ungewöhnlicher Anblick; nothing unusual → nichts Außergewöhnliches; there is something unusual about this → es hat etwas Ungewöhnliches an sich; how unusual! → das kommt selten vor; (iro) → welch Wunder!; how do you like my new hat? — well, it’s unusual → wie gefällt Ihnen mein neuer Hut? — na, es ist mal was anderes

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

unusual

[ʌnˈjuːʒʊəl] adj (uncommon) → insolito/a; (exceptional, event, talent) → non comune, raro/a
it's unusual for him to be late → è strano che arrivi in ritardo
that's unusual for her → che strano, non è da lei
isn't it unusual! → che originale!

unusual

(anˈjuːʒuəl) adjective

not usual; rare; uncommon. It is unusual for him to arrive late; He has an unusual job.

unˈusually adverb

She is unusually cheerful today.

unusual

→ غَيْرُ عَادِيّ neobvyklý usædvanlig ungewöhnlich ασυνήθιστος inusual epätavallinen inhabituel neobičan insolito 普通でない 유별난 ongewoon uvanlig niezwykły incomum необычный ovanlig ผิดปรกติ alışılmadık khác thường 不寻常的

unusual

adj inusual, raro, extraño

References in classic literature ?

That diction, on the other hand, is lofty and raised above the commonplace which employs unusual words.

View in context

Powell's want of experience would stand in his way of appreciating the unusual. The unusual I had in my mind was something of a very subtle sort: the unusual in marital relations.

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Shortly afterwards the master came in, and looking round, saw that something unusual had taken place.

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Nicholas noticed this, as he noticed every shade of Princess Mary's character with an observation unusual to him, and everything confirmed his conviction that she was a quite unusual and extraordinary being.

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Owls are supposed to be so very wise, generally, that a foolish one is unusual, and you perhaps know that anything or anyone unusual is sure to be interesting to the wise."

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When I entered my chamber I did not notice anything unusual there.

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And they say (the starry choir And all the listening things) That Israfeli's fire Is owing to that lyre By which he sits and sings - The trembling living wire Of those unusual strings.

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Well, here is "more about Dorothy," and about our old friends the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman, and about the Cowardly Lion, and Ozma, and all the rest of them; and here, likewise, is a good deal about some new folks that are queer and unusual. One little friend, who read this story before it was printed, said to me: "Billina is REAL OZZY, Mr.

View in context

In this latter, where the pieces have different and bizarre motions, with various and variable values, what is only complex is mistaken (a not unusual error) for what is profound.

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Excessive bail shall not be required nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

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On the third night, nothing unusual was heard or seen by the watch on deck.

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One morning the house-physician gave him a new case, a man; and, seating himself at the bedside, Philip proceeded to write down particulars on the `letter.' He noticed on looking at this that the patient was described as a journalist: his name was Thorpe Athelny, an unusual one for a hospital patient, and his age was forty-eight.