Word Study
extraordinary
CIDE DICTIONARY
extraordinary, a. [L. extraordinarius; extra on the outside + ordinarius: cf. F. extraordinaire. See Ordinary.].
- Beyond or out of the common order or method; not usual, customary, regular, or ordinary; as, extraordinary evils; extraordinary remedies. [1913 Webster]"Which dispose
To something extraordinary my thoughts." [1913 Webster] - Exceeding the common degree, measure. or condition; hence, remarkable; uncommon; rare; wonderful; as, extraordinary talents or grandeur. [1913 Webster]
- Employed or sent upon an unusual or special service; as, an ambassador extraordinary. [1913 Webster]
extraordinary, n.
That which is extraordinary; -- used especially in the plural; as, extraordinaries excepted, there is nothing to prevent success. [1913 Webster]
"Their extraordinary did consist especially in the matter of prayers and devotions." [1913 Webster]
OXFORD DICTIONARY
extraordinary, adj.
1 unusual or remarkable; out of the usual course.
2 unusually great (an extraordinary talent).
3 a (of an official etc.) additional; specially employed (envoy extraordinary). b (of a meeting) specially convened.
1 unusual or remarkable; out of the usual course.
2 unusually great (an extraordinary talent).
3 a (of an official etc.) additional; specially employed (envoy extraordinary). b (of a meeting) specially convened.
Derivative
extraordinarily adv. extraordinariness n.
Etymology
L extraordinarius f. extra ordinem outside the usual order
THESAURUS
extraordinary
abnormal, absolute, amazing, appalling, astonishing, astounding, beguiling, bewildering, bizarre, celebrated, certain, concrete, conspicuous, curious, defined, definite, detailed, determinate, different, distinct, distinguished, egregious, eminent, enigmatic, esoteric, especial, esteemed, estimable, exceptional, express, fabulous, fantastic, fascinating, fixed, formidable, gorgeous, impressive, improbable, incomprehensible, inconceivable, incredible, indescribable, individual, ineffable, inner, intimate, legendary, lovely, marked, marvelous, memorable, minute, miraculous, more than expected, mythical, noble, notable, noteworthy, noticeable, odd, of mark, out-of-the-way, outlandish, outstanding, particular, passing strange, past expectation, peculiar, personal, phenomenal, portentous, precise, prestigious, private, prodigious, prominent, puzzling, queer, rare, remarkable, rememberable, reputable, respective, salient, sensational, several, signal, singular, smashing, solipsistic, special, specific, strange, striking, stupefying, stupendous, sudden, super, superior, surprising, telling, terrific, unannounced, unanticipated, unbelievable, uncommon, undivined, unexampled, unexpected, unforeseeable, unforeseen, unforgettable, unguessed, unheard-of, unheralded, unhoped for, unimaginable, unique, unordinary, unparalleled, unprecedented, unpredictable, unpredicted, unprepared for, unreal, unspeakable, unthinkable, unusual, unwonted, without warning, wonderful, wondrousROGET THESAURUS
extraordinary
Greatness
N greatness, magnitude, size, multitude, immensity, enormity, infinity, might, strength, intensity, fullness, importance, great quantity, quantity, deal, power, sight, pot, volume, world, mass, heap, stock, peck, bushel, load, cargo, cartload, wagonload, shipload, flood, spring tide, abundance, principal part, chief part, main part, greater part, major part, best part, essential part, bulk, mass, great, greater, large, considerable, fair, above par, big, huge, Herculean, cyclopean, ample, abundant, full, intense, strong, sound, passing, heavy, plenary, deep, high, signal, at its height, in the zenith, world-wide, widespread, far-famed, extensive, wholesale, many, goodly, noble, precious, mighty, sad, grave, heavy, serious, far gone, arrant, downright, utter, uttermost, crass, gross, arch, profound, intense, consummate, rank, uninitiated, red-hot, desperate, glaring, flagrant, stark staring, thorough-paced, thoroughgoing, roaring, thumping, extraordinary, important, unsurpassed, complete, august, grand, dignified, sublime, majestic, vast, immense, enormous, extreme, inordinate, excessive, extravagant, exorbitant, outrageous, preposterous, unconscionable, swinging, monstrous, overgrown, towering, stupendous, prodigious, astonishing, incredible, marvelous, unlimited, unapproachable, unutterable, indescribable, ineffable, unspeakable, inexpressible, beyond expression, fabulous, undiminished, unabated, unreduced, unrestricted, absolute, positive, stark, decided, unequivocal, essential, perfect, finished, remarkable, of mark, marked, pointed, veriest, noteworthy, renowned, truly, decidedly, unequivocally, purely, absolutely, seriously, essentially, fundamentally, radically, downright, in all conscience, for the most part, in the main, entirely, abundantly, widely, far and wide, greatly, much, muckle, well, indeed, very, very much, a deal, no end of, most, not a little, pretty, pretty well, enough, in a great measure, richly, to a large extent, to a great extent, to a gigantic extent, on a large scale, so, never so, ever so, ever so dole, scrap, shred, tag, splinter, rag, much, by wholesale, mighty, powerfully, with a witness, ultra, in the extreme, extremely, exceedingly, intensely, exquisitely, acutely, indefinitely, immeasurably, beyond compare, beyond comparison, beyond measure, beyond all bounds, incalculably, infinitely, preeminently, superlatively, immoderately, monstrously, preposterously, inordinately, exorbitantly, excessively, enormously, out of all proportion, with a vengeance, particularly, remarkably, singularly, curiously, uncommonly, unusually, peculiarly, notably, signally, strikingly, pointedly, mainly, chiefly, famously, egregiously, prominently, glaringly, emphatically, kat exochin, strangely, wonderfully, amazingly, surprisingly, astonishingly, incredibly, marvelously, awfully, stupendously, peculiarly, furiously, severely, desperately, tremendously, extravagantly, confoundedly, deucedly, devilishly, with a vengeance, a outrance, a toute outrance, painfully, sadly, grossly, sorely, bitterly, piteously, grievously, miserably, cruelly, woefully, lamentably, shockingly, frightfully, dreadfully, fearfully, terribly, horribly, a maximis ad minima, greatness knows itself, mightiest powers by deepest calms are fed, minimum decet libere cui multum licet, some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.Unconformity
N unconformity, nonconformity, unconformity, disconformity, unconventionality, informality, abnormity, abnormality, anomaly, anomalousness, exception, peculiarity, infraction of law, breach, of law, violation of law, violation of custom, violation of usage, infringement of law, infringement of custom, infringement of usage, teratism, eccentricity, bizarrerie, oddity, je ne sais quoi, monster, monstrosity, rarity, freak, freak of Nature, weirdo, mutant, rouser, snorter, individuality, idiosyncrasy, originality, mannerism, aberration, irregularity, variety, singularity, exemption, salvo, nonconformist, nondescript, character, original, nonesuch, nonsuch, monster, prodigy, wonder, miracle, curiosity, flying fish, black sheep, black swan, lusus naturae, rara avis, queer fish, mongrel, random breed, half-caste, half-blood, half-breed, metis, crossbreed, hybrid, mule, hinny, mulatto, tertium quid, hermaphrodite, phoenix, chimera, hydra, sphinx, minotaur, griffin, griffon, centaur, saggittary, kraken, cockatrice, wyvern, roc, dragon, sea serpent, mermaid, merman, merfolk, unicorn, Cyclops, men whose heads do grow beneath their shoulders, teratology, fish out of water, neither one thing nor another, neither fish nor fowl, neither fish flesh nor fowl nor good red herring, one in a million, one in a way, one in a thousand, outcast, outlaw, off the beaten track, oasis, uncomformable, exceptional, abnormal, abnormous, anomalous, anomalistic, out of order, out of place, out of keeping, out of tune, out of one's element, irregular, arbitrary, teratogenic, lawless, informal, aberrant, stray, wandering, wanton, peculiar, exclusive, unnatural, eccentric, egregious, out of the beaten track, off the beaten track, out of the common, out of the common run, beyond the pale of, out of the pale of, misplaced, funny, unusual, unaccustomed, uncustomary, unwonted, uncommon, rare, curious, odd, extraordinary, out of the ordinary, strange, monstrous, wonderful, unexpected, unaccountable, outre, out of the way, remarkable, noteworthy, queer, quaint, nondescript, none such, sui generis, unfashionable, fantastic, grotesque, bizarre, outlandish, exotic, tombe des nues, preternatural, denaturalized, heterogeneous, heteroclite, amorphous, mongrel, amphibious, epicene, half blood, hybrid, androgynous, androgynal, asymmetric, adelomorphous, bisexual, hermaphrodite, monoclinous, qualified, singular, unique, one-of-a-kind, newfangled, novel, non-classical, original, unconventional, unheard of, unfamiliar, undescribed, unprecedented, unparalleled, unexampled, unconformably, except, unless, save barring, beside, without, save and except, let alone, however, yet, but, once in a blue moon, once in a million years, Int, what on earth!, what in the world!, What the devil!, Holy cow!, Can you top that?, Sacre bleu, never was seen the like, never was heard the like, never was known the like, I could hardly believe it, I saw it, but I didn't believe it.For further exploring for "extraordinary" in Webster Dictionary Online