extraordinary
Something extraordinary goes above and beyond what is expected. This can be good or bad. Saving a child from a burning building is an extraordinary act of heroism, but a test score of 11 out of 100 is extraordinary too.
The extra- in extraordinary means "outside" the ordinary. If you had to work for 10 hours on a two-page writing assignment, that means it was an extraordinarily hard assignment. Either that or you were extraordinarily slow. We often use the word extraordinary as a superlative. If your friend bakes you a cake better than any you’ve ever tasted, you could tell her it is “extraordinary.”
Definitions of extraordinary
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beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable“extraordinary authority”“an extraordinary achievement”“her extraordinary beauty”“enjoyed extraordinary popularity”“an extraordinary capacity for work”“an extraordinary session of the legislature”
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Synonyms:
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uncommon
not common or ordinarily encountered; unusually great in amount or remarkable in character or kind
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unusual
not usual or common or ordinary
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incomparable, uncomparable
such that comparison is impossible; unsuitable for comparison or lacking features that can be compared
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impressive
making a strong or vivid impression
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bonzer
remarkable or wonderful
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exceeding, exceptional, olympian, prodigious, surpassing
far beyond what is usual in magnitude or degree
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extraordinaire
extraordinary in a particular capacity
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fantastic, grand, howling, incredible, marvellous, marvelous, rattling, terrific, tremendous, wonderful, wondrous
extraordinarily good or great ; used especially as intensifiers
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phenomenal
exceedingly or unbelievably great
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awful, frightful, terrible, tremendous
extreme in degree or extent or amount or impact
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great
remarkable or out of the ordinary in degree or magnitude or effect
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one
used informally as an intensifier
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preternatural, uncanny
surpassing the ordinary or normal
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pyrotechnic
suggestive of fireworks
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rare, uncommon
marked by an uncommon quality; especially superlative or extreme of its kind
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remarkable, singular
unusual or striking
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some
remarkable
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special
for a special service or occasion
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wonderworking
performing or able to perform wonders or miracles
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superior
of high or superior quality or performance
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Antonyms:
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ordinary
not exceptional in any way especially in quality or ability or size or degree
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common
having no special distinction or quality; widely known or commonly encountered; average or ordinary or usual
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usual
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
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average, fair, mediocre, middling
lacking exceptional quality or ability
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banausic
(formal) ordinary and not refined
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characterless, nondescript
lacking distinct or individual characteristics; dull and uninteresting
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common
to be expected; standard
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commonplace
completely ordinary and unremarkable
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cut-and-dried, cut-and-dry
according to ordinary expectations
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everyday, mundane, quotidian, routine, unremarkable, workaday
found in the ordinary course of events
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indifferent, so-so
being neither good nor bad
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mine run, run-of-the-mill, run-of-the-mine, unexceptional
not special in any way
- show more antonyms...
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uncommon
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far more than usual or expected“an extraordinary desire for approval”
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synonyms:
over-the-top, sinful
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immoderate
beyond reasonable limits
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immoderate
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(of an official) serving an unusual or special function in addition to those of the regular officials“an ambassador extraordinary”
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Synonyms:
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unusual
not usual or common or ordinary
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unusual
Word Family
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