extraordinaire

adjective

ex·​traor·​di·​naire ik-ˌstrȯ(r)-də-ˈner 

ek-

: extremely good or impressive : extraordinary

—used following the noun it modifies

a chef extraordinaire

"Some of us get so carried away, our lives and gardens become inseparable," says plantsman extraordinaire and garden designer Michael Barclay.

—Sharon Cohoon et al.

Ms. Popcorn—marketing consultant, futurist, trend-spotter extraordinaire—was striking in black suede from head to toe …

—Suzanne Slesin

… an assistant football coach at the University of Texas and recruiter extraordinaire …

—Douglas S. Looney

Synonyms

• aberrant
• aberrated
• abnormal
• anomalous
• atypical
• especial
• exceeding
• exceptional
• extraordinary
• freak
• odd
• peculiar
• phenomenal
• preternatural
• rare
• singular
• uncommon
• uncustomary
• unique
• unusual
• unwonted

Examples of extraordinaire in a Sentence

the sort of chef extraordinaire who can whip up a fantastic meal, regardless of the ingredients on hand

Recent Examples on the Web

Game show host extraordinaire Chuck Woolery died last weekend. —Megan Poinski, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024

Probably the most high profile figure is Wolff Fuss, inflection king extraordinaire. —Tim Spiers, The Athletic, 20 Nov. 2024

Next came Jimi Hendrix, a guitarist extraordinaire who overdosed on barbiturates in 1970. —Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024

The Blue Jays signed Turner, the 39-year-old professional hitting extraordinaire, as a complement to the team’s existing top trio of George Springer, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette. —Chad Jennings, The Athletic, 9 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French

First Known Use

1840, in the meaning defined above