Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Being the only one of its kind: the unique existing example of Donne's handwriting.
- adj. Without an equal or equivalent; unparalleled.
- adj. Characteristic of a particular category, condition, or locality: a problem unique to coastal areas.
- adj. Informal Unusual; extraordinary: spoke with a unique accent.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- In mathematics, unambiguous and singly determinate.
- Only; single.
- Having no like or equal; unmatched; sole; unequaled; single in its kind or excellence: often used relatively, and then signifying rare, unusual.
- n. A unique thing; a thing unparalleled or sole of its kind.
Wiktionary
- adj. not comparable Being the only one of its kind; unequaled, unparalleled or unmatched.
- adj. Of a feature, such that only one holder has it.
- adj. disputed Of a rare quality.
- adj. disputed Unusual.
- n. A thing without a like; something unequalled or unparallelled.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Being without a like or equal; unmatched; unequaled; unparalleled; single in kind or excellence; sole.
- n. rare A thing without a like; something unequaled or unparalleled.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. the single one of its kind
- adj. highly unusual or rare but not the single instance
- adj. radically distinctive and without equal
- adj. (followed by `to') applying exclusively to a given category or condition or locality
Etymologies
- From French unique. (Wiktionary)
- French, from Old French, from Latin ūnicus. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“END {if (nonempty) {for (i in files) print i;};} '`; \ if test - z "$ (ETAGS_ARGS) $$tags$$unique"; then:; else \ test - n "$$unique" | | unique = $$empty_fix; \”
“Short introduction: A cryptographic hash-function is a function where you can put in any data and you'll get a unique, fixed-size value. »unique« in this case scenario means that it's very hard to calculate two different strings matching to the same hash value.”
“Kashi's 7 Whole Grain Puffs is said to have a unique flavour derived from the sesame seeds bursting at high temperature and imparting their unique flavour to the cereal.”
“BE: When we first started i came up with the term unique edition.”
“And the company's use of the term "unique visitors" is "the same as everyone," he says.”
“I am sure I have never before used the word unique with such exactness.”
“I suppose that the term unique in discussing the craft activity at Johnson's Island was confusing.”
“My response, "But I am working, just from home," completely baffles them and they gaze at me with an expression unique to children: "Daddy says the funniest things.”
“A spokeswoman said the icon had been used by the troops to identify themselves as scout snipers, a designation unique to the Marine Corps, and was never intended to have Nazi connotations.”
Telegraph.co.uk - Telegraph online, Daily Telegraph, Sunday Telegraph
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘unique’.
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EU Buzz - ALL words and expressions
A combined list of
1. EU Buzz - single words
2. EU Buzz - collocations
3. EU Buzz - the 100 most active
collocation constituentsabsorption capacity, absorption rate, acceding country, accession candidate, accession countries, accession country, accession criteria, accession cycle, accession negotia..., accession partner..., accession priorities, accession treaty and 2650 more...
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Politically Correct Terms
It's fun to find the politically incorrect equivalents. To see more (lesser common but still funny ones) check http://www.bored.com/pcphrases/
fellow Muslims, ageing population, gender mainstreaming, emerging democracies, mentally challeng..., intellectually di..., African American, native American, first nations, Caucasian, firefighter, police officer and 205 more...
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EN - academic vocabulary
Use these and get promoted
abandon, abandonment, abnormally, abstract, abstraction, abstractly, abstracts, academia, academic, academically, academics, academies and 3119 more...
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gangster
random gangster lingo and street slang with extra absurdities.
( open list, randomness )
related:
http://www....swagga, chinga, slams, blitzy, earf, manor, code name, rekkid, weight, feather, kong, swisher and 323 more...
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How SchizoTypical of You...
Ever think you were just like everyone else? Anything like anyone? Maybe even a little Average?
What if it Was just all in your head... . .
double~edged sWordsrationalization, moralality, motivated, reluctant, mature, unconditional love, prudent, unique, empowered, energetic, honest, working on myself and 14 more...
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Words That Sell Snake Oil
Trying to sell an overpriced e-book that will communicate the true secrets of wealth, power, or yard-care? Here are some helpful words to sprinkle in your copy.
sensational, expertise, secrets, guaranteed, success, legitimate, conclusive, amazing, smart, free, easy, automatic and 18 more...
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big book gre
abase, abbess, abbey, abbot, abdicate, abdomen, abdominal, abduction, abed, aberration, abet, abeyance and 6691 more...
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English with Tongue
French words and phrases used by English speakers.
objet d'art, nom de plume, petite, bon voyage, avant-garde, faux pas, faux, touché, répondez, s'il vo..., rouge, papier mâché, joie de vivre and 85 more...
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The Medley of Me
A jumble of words, sometimes contradictory, that add up to me. I'll probably be adding to this list for some time, because I'm a very complex individual. ;P
male, long-haired, big-eyed, writer, artist, guitarist, songsmith, talespinner, pilot, wannabe barnstormer, gypsy, cuddlesome and 209 more...
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Twitter favorites
The new favourite words of people on Twitter.
A script searches Twitter for "X is my new favorite word" and adds it to this list.
See also:
unfathomably, glice, cuh, fab, ciggaty, doll, thuggin, oxymoronic, pineapple, succubutt, griming, cheeky and 2369 more... -
The Sog Collection
My big word list.
chaos, flaccid, empirical, flotsam, cacophony, grumble, assuage, awe, romance, mortality, coalesce, fortuitous and 3282 more...
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africasunsets's list
serendipity, fragrance, glamour, smitten, nourish, lavish, luxury, wicked, gem, daring, soothe, fantasy and 192 more...
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If-Christ-Had-Not-Died-For-Thee-Thou-...
Words that have been used as baby names, including virtue names, nature names, place names, etc.
The title is an actual name given to a Puritan boy in the 17th century.faith, hope, grace, charity, chastity, prudence, patience, temperance, river, phoenix, stone, violet and 455 more...
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Words that are only ever used ironically
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Basic English Vocabulary
Very basic words for ESL students.
a, abandon, ability, able, abortion, about, above, abroad, absence, absolute, absolutely, absorb and 4334 more...
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ESL Academic Word List
This is a list of academic words for students learning English as a Second or Foreign Language. It includes 570 word families that often appear in academic texts. It does not include words that are...
collapse, depression, colleagues, invoked, levy, nonetheless, likewise, so-called, ongoing, conceived, forthcoming, integrity and 558 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for unique.
dvdj To use advertising copywriters as any kind of benchmark for educated grammar, let alone literacy, would be downright laughable if it weren't so absurd. Today's copywriters inspire an imaginary essay title: "How Has Advertising Copy Gotten so Rotten?" I see their faux pas every day, including a Travelers Insurance TV commercial that displayed the company's tagline, "In-synch." The hyphen is misplaced, unless we think comparable phrases should be hyphenated all of a sudden, such as "in-tune" or "in-place." It's a verb phrase, not a compound noun. While any absence of grammatical grace in ad copy often can be attributed to the "creative" staff's penchant to go for attention-getting effect, the "in-synch" example doesn't accomplish anything that a corrected, hyphen-less display wouldn't also effect, so the only conclusion is that nobody -- NOBODY -- at the agency or client was exactly an honors English student and can't distinguish between a verb phrase and a noun. As a copywriter would say, "Amazing!" Jul 5, 2009
nuxiy "The divine is God's concern; the human, man's. My concern is neither the divine nor the human, not the true, good, just, free, etc., but solely what is mine, and it is not a general one, but is -- unique, as I am unique. Nothing is more to me than myself!"
- Max Stirner, The Ego and His Own
Mar 28, 2009
gangerh Remember, you're unique. Just like everyone else. Jul 19, 2008
uselessness "...now stay in your seat and finish your dinner. The grownups are trying to talk." Dec 18, 2007
kewpid “Thank you. We're all refreshed and challenged by your unique point of view.�? Dec 18, 2007
uselessness A number of cosmic significance? Herald the horsemen!! Apr 20, 2007
oroboros How's this for unique: At three minutes and four seconds after 0200 hours (2:00 AM) on the 6th of May this year (2007) the time and date will be 02:03:04 05/06/07 (American notation). Apr 20, 2007
trblthiswaycomes Cheers to that! Uniqueness is inmeasureable.... Jan 12, 2007
pedalinfaith Listen up, peeps. Unique means "unparalleled, one of a kind". So, something is either unique or it isn't. It's never is "most unique" or "very unique" or "pretty unique". Uniqueness cannot be qualified. If you ever feel compelled to do so, you are probably searching for the word "unusual" instead. Dec 1, 2006