unique

adjective

yu̇-ˈnēk 

1

: being the only one : sole

his unique concern was his own comfort

I can't walk away with a unique copy. Suppose I lost it?

—Kingsley Amis

the unique factorization of a number into prime factors

2

a

: being without a like or equal : unequaled

… he could stare at the flames, each one new, violent, unique …

—Robert Coover

b

: distinctively characteristic : peculiar sense 1

… this is not a condition unique to California …

—Ronald Reagan

c

: able to be distinguished from all others of its class or type : distinct sense 1

App Tracking works by Apple assigning a unique identifier to your device.

—Ben Lovejoy

You will see an assortment of digital tags that let the Web site identify your computer as a unique visitor.

—Peter H. Lewis

The site sees an average of 227 million unique users per month …

—West Hartford (Connecticut) News: Web Edition Articles

3

: unusual

a very unique ball-point pen

… we were fairly unique, the sixty of us, in that there wasn't one good mixer in the bunch.

—J. D. Salinger

uniquely adverb

uniqueness noun

Can something be very unique or somewhat unique?: Usage Guide

Many commentators have objected to the comparison or modification (as by somewhat or very) of unique, often asserting that a thing is either unique or it is not. Objections are based chiefly on the assumption that unique has but a single absolute sense, an assumption contradicted by information readily available in a dictionary. Unique dates back to the 17th century but was little used until the end of the 18th when, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, it was reacquired from French. H. J. Todd entered it as a foreign word in his edition (1818) of Johnson's Dictionary, characterizing it as "affected and useless." Around the middle of the 19th century it ceased to be considered foreign and came into considerable popular use. With popular use came a broadening of application beyond the original two meanings (here numbered senses 1 and 2a). In modern use both comparison and modification are widespread and standard but are confined to the extended senses 2b and 3. When sense 1 or sense 2a is intended, unique is used without qualifying modifiers.

Synonyms

• idiomatic
• individual
• individualized
• particular
• patented
• peculiar
• personal
• personalized
• private
• privy
• separate
• singular
• subjective

Choose the Right Synonym for unique

strange, singular, unique, peculiar, eccentric, erratic, odd, quaint, outlandish mean departing from what is ordinary, usual, or to be expected.

strange stresses unfamiliarity and may apply to the foreign, the unnatural, the unaccountable.

a journey filled with strange sights

singular suggests individuality or puzzling strangeness.

a singular feeling of impending disaster

unique implies singularity and the fact of being without a known parallel.

a career unique in the annals of science

peculiar implies a marked distinctiveness.

the peculiar status of America's First Lady

eccentric suggests a wide divergence from the usual or normal especially in behavior.

the eccentric eating habits of preschoolers

erratic stresses a capricious and unpredictable wandering or deviating.

a friend's suddenly erratic behavior

odd applies to a departure from the regular or expected.

an odd sense of humor

quaint suggests an old-fashioned but pleasant oddness.

a quaint fishing village

outlandish applies to what is uncouth, bizarre, or barbaric.

outlandish fashions of the time

Examples of unique in a Sentence

There are no clear blueprints to be discovered in history that can help us shape the future as we wish. Each historical event is a unique congeries of factors, people, or chronology. —Margaret McMillan, Dangerous Games, 2008

[Tiger] Wood's unique skill set was on display again at last week's U.S. Open, but this victory was more visceral. It was all heart. —Alan Shipnuck, Sports Illustrated, 23 June 2008

Space is a strange and unique item—you can't take it to a lab and analyze it like beef jerky. —Bob Berman, Astronomy, November 2007

A century ago a doctor was considered to be part of a social elite. He—and medicine was then very much a masculine endeavor—had a unique mastery of a special body of knowledge. He professed a commitment to levels of competence and integrity that he expected society to respect and trust. —Richard Horton, New York Review of Books, 31 May 2007

Most stars are not born in isolation but instead in groups of several thousand to tens of thousands, all of which emerge from the same parent cloud of gas. Each cloud has a unique and homogeneous mix of chemical elements and isotopes, which its stellar progeny inherits. Even when the stars disperse, they retain their unique chemical tag … —Rodrigo Ibata et al., Scientific American, April 2007

As a dozen new books will testify, our nation is in the midst of a great barbecue renaissance, with each region proudly claiming its own unique style. —Ruth Reichl, Gourmet, July 2005

She's in the unique position of running for office against her husband.

Humans are unique among mammals in several respects.

Recent Examples on the Web

Separated a documentary film directed by Errol Morris Adam Kirsch In Search of Fullness In his new book, the philosopher Charles Taylor looks at modern poetry as a unique record of spiritual experience in a secular age. —Erin Maglaque, The New York Review of Books, 15 Nov. 2024

Of course, different hunting conditions and different waterfowl species require unique decoying strategies. —Joe Arterburn, Outdoor Life, 14 Nov. 2024

Each individual phone also has its own unique measurement bias that can be off by several microseconds. —Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 13 Nov. 2024

Irvine switched from at-large to district council elections this year, prompting this unique two-year term. —Alexcia Negrete, Orange County Register, 12 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French, from Latin unicus, from unus one — more at one

First Known Use

1601, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing unique

• unique users
• unique visitor

Kids Definition

unique

adjective

yu̇-ˈnēk 

1

a

: being the only one of its kind

b

: peculiar sense 1

2

: very unusual : notable

his talent is unique

3

: being the one and only possible result of one or more mathematical operations

a unique solution

also : having only one possible result

addition of integers is unique

uniquely adverb

uniqueness noun