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unusual

[uhn-yoo-zhoo-uhl, -yoozh-wuhl]

adjective

not usual, common, or ordinary; uncommon in amount or degree; exceptional: an unusual sound; an unusual hobby; an unusual response.

Origin:
1575–85; un-¹ + usual

Related forms

un·u·su·al·ly, adverb

un·u·su·al·ness, noun

Synonyms
extraordinary, remarkable; rare, strange, singular, curious, queer, odd.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Unusual is always a great word to know.

So is ort. Does it mean:

a screen or mat covered with a dark material for shielding a camera lens from excess light or glare.

a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.

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Example Sentences

Some of it is unusual and instructive, and some of it is mysterious.

Spanier had enjoyed unusual support from faculty and alumni.

What is unusual about this region is that the downturn has not inspired much zeal for invention.

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Some of it is unusual and instructive, and some of it is mysterious.

Spanier had enjoyed unusual support from faculty and alumni.

What is unusual about this region is that the downturn has not inspired much zeal for invention.

Watch as technicians race to prepare a new arrival, and meet the scientists who draw on the unusual bank.

Divers have discovered an unusual flat-faced fish with forward-looking eyes that may represent an entirely new piscine family.

New research points to an unusual reason for the plant's success.

These borders comprise a stunning display of unusual plants.

Drawing and quartering is all about cruel and unusual punishment.

In this economic climate, it's unusual for companies to build new research centers.

America is unusual in the power that it awards to chief executives.

Breathing is a rich experience for a group of unusual microbes that typically live deep beneath the sea.

Website invites micro-donations for unusual illnesses.

All legs and neck, it is such an unusual form of life.

For unusual varieties and potato tubers, try these specialists.

Albrecht's friends and family claim that varenicline is to blame for his unusual behavior.

It holds the unusual distinction of being a land, sea, and space grant university.

To face sniping from within your own family is more unusual.

Some species display unusual parenting habits, including carrying both eggs and tadpoles on their backs.

Humanity has enjoyed an unusual streak of food surplus since the green revolution began in the mid-1960s.

Food is a basic human need and humans are prone to unusual behavior.

It has staircases to nowhere, strange rooms and all kinds of unusual details.

Her focus on service comes partly from her unusual path into the professoriate.

But it is unusual in that the commodity being bought and sold does not exist: it is the certified absence of carbon emissions.

These trees are unusual for a desert vegetation region.

One of the joys of writing this column is the opportunity to play with unusual branches of mathematics.

Look up in the sky near an airport and you might see some unusual cloud formations.

Most states have switched to lethal injection, considered less likely to be outlawed as cruel and unusual punishment.

While that's hardly unusual in academe, what is unusual is that it was my fourth attempt.

Demanding higher interest rates for taking such risks was unusual.

Meteorologists said the unusual weather was the result of warm, moist air moving from the south.

Dino tracks are an unusual find in the lineage's early history.

It's not unusual for plants to produce mutant fruit that lacks seeds, but these fruits are usually the end of their line.

The organization also has an unusual potential solution: comedy.

Scientific temping is not that unusual for entry level position in industry.

People were queuing for an unusual delicacy: balls of butter, dipped in dough and cooked in a vat of boiling oil.

Miners uncovered the unusual find while digging for lignite, or brown coal.

Not surprisingly, something so challenging and so beyond our experience opened up all kinds of unusual avenues of discourse.

Louisiana's unusual open-primary election system discourages partisan politics and rewards colourful characters.

Cuba, an isolated island, is home to many unusual species.

Besides being primitive, a pinhole camera is cheap, and it almost guarantees an unusual result.

Iturralde-Vinent notes that such a mixture of terrestrial and marine animals is not unusual in paleontology.

Besides being a fantastic image, something else seemed unusual.

Other animals use more unusual techniques adapted to their lifestyles.

Two picture books concern adventures with unusual animals.

Engine failures of the sort that seems likely to have occurred are unusual but not unheard.

Recent observations of two unusual stars have produced unexpected results, suggesting the existence of both a new.

Between the unusual court shape and specialized equipment, jeu de paume is a game that must be seen to be believed.

Unusual or strange behavior involves performing actions that are not normal for the person.

Since higher ed rarely seeks efficiencies, they are unusual.

Serbs doing unusual jobs in unusual places should come as no surprise.

In the battle against an exotic seaweed, biologists are employing a rather unusual solution: underwater vacuum cleaners.

Minnesota health officials are reporting an unusual death linked to a strain of polio once used in vaccines.

Learn about unusual varieties of easy-to-grow edible garden mints.

Dubbed the bare-faced bulbul because of its unusual.

From the longer-run perspective, what seems to be happening is something quite unusual.

In an unusual proof-of-concept display, researchers have developed a way to create photographs with living bacteria.

Yet despite years of study, new insight into the creature's unusual form of communication continues to come to light.

In her living room, a sofa with plush upholstery and conventional lines allows for more unusual accents:.

There are far too few really unusual publications in the world of children's literature.

Unusual grimaces are normally the first sign that something is wrong.

Start plants from seed so you can grow unusual varieties that are not available as seedlings in nurseries.

One of the more unusual approaches to the flying car combines a dune buggy with a propeller and a big parachute.

What makes it unusual among mammals is that it is both sociable and monogamous.

It holds things in unusual positions, and it is sturdy enough to support heavy objects-.

Pecorino's fame has garnered the duo some unusual privileges.

Three plant hunters venture off in search of rare and unusual species.

And when he graduates this month, he'll leave behind an unusual senior project:.

Hardly fighting talk but an unusual admission that not all was sweetness and light.

My objective was to capture the unusual angles without showcasing its colors on wings.

Many of the list members were found in unusual places.

Augustine's culinary traditions blend a whole host of unusual local ingredients.

Visitors will delight in browsing for unusual gifts, sampling super meals.

What was once unusual has become increasingly commonplace.

What has been unusual about this boom is the timing.

Scientists have discovered a mysterious species of fly with males bearing highly unusual mis-matched right and left wings.

Now one type of killer whale, or orca, has been found to dine on an unusual dish: shark.

She was unusual in her ability to integrate her latent literary gifts into her conscious self.

Unusual shrub that doesn‘t lose its leaves in winter.

The iPhone contract is unusual in bundling many separate agreements into a single contract.

Geography, they explain, is the main reason for the unusual plans to move to a different accreditor.

Aberrant behaviour, often brought on by boredom, is not unusual in zoo animals.

Watch and listen to this unusual form of communication.

The fiber gets its unusual properties from a porous outer layer.

He's part of an unusual band of enthusiasts known as wreck chasers, although he doesn't care much for the term.

One of the many versions out now that ditched the oak would be a fresh sip with this unusual sandwich.

The unusual airplane still turns heads and, perhaps more often, leaves people scratching their heads.

The teams represent an unusual cross-section of colleges, many of which do not compete against one another in any other sport.

Paper-Ya offers unique journals, stationery, and other items made of unusual paper.

It's not unusual for individuals to register domain names shortly after news breaks on a big story and then to sell them.

But they did reveal unusual features, including a broken leg that may have helped kill him.

The drug companies opinion that injecting aluminum, mercury and other toxins into babies is harmless is the unusual conclusion.

It wasn't unusual for prisoners to die from the cold or starvation.

What makes this trio unusual is the source of the containers.

That's not an unusual move for a struggling company in today's turbulent economy.

They have a somewhat unusual one-page website, which is quite secretive and defensive.

But in an unusual role reversal, paper wasp queens beg their young for food.

The stage was not engineered and/or constructed properly to withstand a windgust that is not unusual or unexpected.

His landscapes were really exceptional due to his use of searing colors and unusual vantage points.

Look for unusual edible plants as well as botanical-inspired housewares.

Scientists now believe the spot is a highly unusual gas cloud that could help explain the life cycle of quasars.

Illinois, found evidence suggesting that lions dining on humans might not be as unusual as previously supposed.

He swings the pick a few times before kneeling to inspect something unusual and then worries at some loose rubble with his hands.

Of course, it's not unusual for a paleontologist to differ with creationists.

Enjoy sophisticated food in an unusual setting: under a garden tent.

Apparently some of the more unusual designs did quite well in the race.

The agency could also decide the committee abused its exemption, and revoke its tax-preferred status-a highly unusual move.

Among the many unusual mammals found in this region are a number of small carnivores.

The two shared an unusual interest: gut worms-specifically, tiny wormlike parasitic organisms called helminths.

Eventually, the unusual geochemistry of these caves overturned conventional thinking about how they were formed.

Broccoli gets an unusual treatment in this delicious sauce–it cooks with olive oil and garlic slowly until broken down into.

It is unusual for community colleges and under-funded small private colleges.

When mud puddle frogs mate, they create an unusual nest of foam to protect their eggs.

And it is understandable why a building which has experienced unusual horror and violence to be torn down.

The show is also unusual because it reflects an abstract expressionist approach.

Glossy deep green, oval leaves are convex, unusual among rhododendrons.

One thing is for sure though: such sustained interest in this unusual plant will ensure it continues to thrive in captivity.

But the team noted that they had observed an unusual big red spot on the star three years ago.

Growing unusual vegetables with kids is a great way to get them to taste and eventually eat more veggies.

It often chortles or yodels, even snarls, and it has other unusual characteristics.

Peruvian food is a true fusion cuisine, taking bits and pieces of its past and combining them in exciting, often unusual ways.

It is not unusual for a star basketball player to leave college for the pros before earning his degree.

Click on our interactive map to find the gems and unusual spots behind the gates of this once secretive world.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

unusual (ʌnˈjuːʒʊəl)

—*adj*
	out of the ordinary; uncommon; extraordinary: an unusual design

un'usually

—*adv*

un'usualness

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source

Etymonline

Word Origin & History

unusual

1582, from un- (1) "not" + usual.

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"Here also was made the novelty 'Chestnut Bell' which enjoyed unusual popularity during the gay nineties when every dandy jauntily wore one of the tiny bells on the lapel of his coat, and rang it whenever a story-teller offered a 'chestnut.'"

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