extraordinary

[ ik-strawr-dn-er-ee, ek-struh-awr- ]
/ ɪkˈstrɔr dnˌɛr i, ˌɛk strəˈɔr- /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR extraordinary ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

beyond what is usual, ordinary, regular, or established: extraordinary costs.
exceptional in character, amount, extent, degree, etc.; noteworthy; remarkable: extraordinary speed; an extraordinary man.
(of an official, employee, etc.) outside of or additional to the ordinary staff; having a special, often temporary task or responsibility: minister extraordinary and plenipotentiary.

Origin of extraordinary

1425–75; late Middle English extraordinarie < Latin extrāordinārius beyond what is ordinary. See extra-, ordinary

OTHER WORDS FROM extraordinary

ex·traor·di·nar·i·ly [ik-strawr-dn-air-uh-lee, ek-struh-awr-] /ɪkˌstrɔr dnˈɛər ə li, ˌɛk strəˌɔr-/, adverb ex·traor·di·nar·i·ness, noun un·ex·traor·di·nar·y, adjective

Words nearby extraordinary

extraneous, extranet, extranuclear, extraocular muscle, extraordinaire, extraordinary, extraordinary general meeting, extraordinary jubilee, extraordinary ray, extraordinary rendition, extraordinary wave

Words related to extraordinariness

phenomenon, quirk, characteristic, incongruity, rarity, peculiarity, curiosity, idiosyncrasy, anomaly, irregularity, flaw, deformity, freak, strangeness, kink, eccentricity, unnaturalness, singularity, oddness, queerness

Example sentences from the Web for extraordinariness

  • Then he thought of his lady, personally, and not of the extraordinariness of his action.

    The Reason Why |Elinor Glyn

  • The extraordinariness of the feat would then be but indifferently commented upon.

    Life of Robert Browning |William Sharp

  • Often during the brief night he gazed sleepily at the vague next bed and mused upon the extraordinariness of women's consciences.

    The Regent |E. Arnold Bennett

  • But in this fact lies the extraordinariness of the situation.

    The Head Hunters of Northern Luzon From Ifugao to Kalinga |Cornelis De Witt Willcox

British Dictionary definitions for extraordinariness

extraordinary
/ (ɪkˈstrɔːdənrɪ, -dənərɪ) /

adjective

very unusual, remarkable, or surprising
not in an established manner, course, or order
employed for particular events or purposes
(usually postpositive) (of an official, etc) additional or subordinate to the usual one a minister extraordinary

Derived forms of extraordinary

extraordinarily, adverb extraordinariness, noun

Word Origin for extraordinary

C15: from Latin extraordinārius beyond what is usual; see ordinary