unusual

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

adj. uncommon, rare; out-of-the-way, curious, odd, queer, singular; abnormal, anomalous, exceptional, extraordinary; irregular, bizarre, peculiar; unwonted, unaccustomed. See unconformity, rarity, disuse.

II

(Roget's IV) modif.

1. [Remarkable]

Syn. rare, extraordinary, strange, outstanding, great, uncommon, special, distinguished, prominent, important, noteworthy, awe-inspiring, awesome, unique, fine, unheard of, unexpected, seldom met with, surprising, superior, astonishing, amazing, prodigious, incredible, inconceivable, atypical, conspicuous, exceptional, eminent, significant, memorable, renowned, refreshing, singular, fabulous, unprecedented, unparalleled, unexampled, unaccountable, stupendous, unaccustomed, wonderful, notable, superior, marvelous, striking, overpowering, electrifying, dazing, fantastic, startling, astounding, indescribable, appalling, stupefying, ineffable, sui generis (Latin), out of sight*.

Ant. common*, familiar, customary.

2. [Different]

Syn. unique, extreme, uncommon, particular, exaggerated, distinctive, choice, little-known, out of the ordinary, marked, forward, unconventional, radical, exceptional, peculiar, strange, foreign, outré, unnatural, puzzling, perplexing, confounding, disturbing, novel, advanced, startling, shocking, staggering, uncustomary, breaking with tradition, infrequent, mysterious, mystifying, surprising, extraordinary, unparalleled, deep, profound, aberrant, singular, unorthodox, uncomfortable, not to be expected, eccentric, unbalanced, unclassifiable, unprecedented, inconsistent, individual, original, refreshing, newfangled, new, modern, recent, late, fresh, curious, unfamiliar, irregular, odd, unaccountable, alien, queer, unwonted, off-the-wall*, quaint, freakish, bizarre, farfetched, neurotic, exotic, outlandish, old-fashioned, out of-the-way, abnormal, irrational, monstrous, anomalous, fearful.

Ant. common*, ordinary, normal.

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) a.

out of the ordinary, odd, rare, atypical, unfamiliar, singular, uncommon, exceptional, unconventional, peculiar, queer, strange, bizarre, weird, extraordinary, unique, unheard-of, unprecedented, unparalleled, different, abnormal, distinguished, refreshing, *far-out, unexpected, unorthodox.

ANT.: usual, ordinary, common, run-of-the-mill

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) adjective 1. Rarely occurring or appearing: infrequent, occasional, rare, scarce, sporadic, uncommon. Idiom: few and far between. See USUAL. 2. Not usual or ordinary: atypic, atypical, novel, unconventional, unordinary, unwonted. Slang: offbeat. See USUAL. 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, rummy2. See USUAL. 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. See BETTER, USUAL.