unprecedented
without previous instance; never before known or experienced; unexampled or unparalleled: an unprecedented event.
Origin of unprecedented
1word story For unprecedented
What is remarkable about unprecedented is that the two earliest known citations appear with the spelling unpresidented, with an si. The first use of this word appears in a 1641 speech by John Finch, Speaker of the House of Commons (later Lord Keeper of the Great Seal) and a very partisan supporter of King Charles I, and the second recorded use was made by King Charles himself in 1642 in his reply to Parliament. It is not until the following year that we find the first printed instance of this word spelled correctly, with a ce, in a political pamphlet in opposition to Charles I, written by Henry Parker, a strong supporter of the British Parliament.
Other words for unprecedented
Other words from unprecedented
- un·prec·e·dent·ed·ly, adverb
- un·prec·e·dent·ed·ness, noun
Words Nearby unprecedented
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use unprecedented in a sentence
Global coordination on the scale eradication would demand was unprecedented.
Smallpox used to kill millions of people every year. Here’s how humans beat it. | Kelsey Piper | February 5, 2021 | VoxInstead of coming together to do that, the Democrats are choosing to raise the temperature by taking the unprecedented step to further their partisan power grab regarding the committee assignments of the other party.
The Marjorie Taylor Greene committee removal vote, explained | Gabby Birenbaum | February 5, 2021 | VoxThe unprecedented move came as the United States was distracted by the Senate runoffs in Georgia and then the riot.
Pro-China propaganda campaign exploits U.S. divisions in videos emphasizing Capitol attack | Craig Timberg, Eva Dou | February 4, 2021 | Washington PostIt was his fifth straight 1,000-yard season, an unprecedented streak for a tight end.
Travis Kelce is the best tight end in football. Just ask any NFL player. | Adam Kilgore | February 4, 2021 | Washington PostDemocrats acknowledged the unprecedented nature of the move but said it was necessary given the nature of Greene’s conduct.
McCarthy moves to keep splintering GOP intact, with protection for both Cheney and Greene | Mike DeBonis, Paul Kane | February 4, 2021 | Washington Post
The number of dissenters though is unprecedented in the modern era.
Democrats Accidentally Save Boehner From Republican Coup | Ben Jacobs, Jackie Kucinich | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTWe won an unprecedented pardon from then-President Karzai, and Gulnaz was freed.
“Today, we are before a heinous crime the likes of which are unprecedented in our safe country,” he said.
Abu Dhabi Treats U.S. Teacher’s Murder as Terrorist Attack | Chris Allbritton | December 4, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTSo to hear such fervent anti-Ortega sentiment from previously devoted campesinos and compañeros is unprecedented.
China’s Nicaragua Canal Could Spark a New Central America Revolution | Nina Lakhani | November 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTInstead, he barely pushed the jurors to charge the cop and allowed the unprecedented step of letting the officer testify.
Prosecutor Used Grand Jury to Let Darren Wilson Walk | Tom Nolan | November 28, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST“Flood”—Cleveland vetoed an unprecedented number of bills during his term.
Assimilative Memory | Marcus Dwight Larrowe (AKA Prof. A. Loisette)But the Transient Car bill, as it came to be called, began mysteriously to attract unprecedented attention.
Scattergood Baines | Clarence Budington KellandAt his instigation a persecution of unprecedented virulence raged like an epidemic throughout the empire.
The Catacombs of Rome | William Henry WithrowThis was effected by caissons with air chambers and air locks, a feat unprecedented in the annals of engineering.
The nation has, since the last harvest, been fed by foreigners to an unprecedented extent.
British Dictionary definitions for unprecedented
/ (ʌnˈprɛsɪˌdɛntɪd) /
having no precedent; unparalleled
Derived forms of unprecedented
- unprecedentedly, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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