UNIQUE


Meaning of UNIQUE in English

I. yüˈnēk, ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ adjective

( sometimes -er/-est )

Etymology: French, from Latin unicus sole, single, unique, from unus one + -icus -ic — more at one

1.

a. : being the only one : sole

earning money whose unique object could be nothing but Cyril's welfare — Arnold Bennett

has thus preserved the original and often unique records — G.B.Parks

you are a miracle, a wonder, a mystery … one single unique and inimitable living thing — J.C.Powys

b. of a book : known to exist in no other copy

2. : being without a like or equal : single in kind or excellence : unequaled

they stand alone, unique , objects of supreme interest — A.B.Osborne

as historian he knows that events, like persons, are unique — J.M.Barzun

remains singularly himself, a unique lyrist of the first water — I.L.Salomon

an almost unique experience — Havelock Ellis

tendencies present in our contemporary world which make our own times somewhat unique — M.B.Smith

story of his life is considerably more unique than most autobiographies — Dorothy C. Fisher

the more we study him, the less unique he seems — Harry Levin

— sometimes used with to

the problem of what to do with surplus women is by no means unique to our own society — Ralph Linton

or with

by no means unique with the song sparrow — Nature Magazine

3. : unusual , notable

possessed unique ability in the raising of funds — D.F.Thwing

the wife of a career diplomat has a unique opportunity to observe the world political scene — Ray Pierre

a frankness unique in literature — David Daiches

unique peach and privacy — R.W.Hatch

cheap, nourishing, and a unique dining experience — T.H.Fielding

the most unique characteristic of that environment — R.A.Billington

she's the most unique person I ever met — Arthur Miller

the most unique theater in town — advt

4. : capable of being performed in only one way

the factorization of a number into its prime factors is unique

Synonyms: see single , strange

II. noun

( -s )

: something (as a specimen, thing, circumstance, or person) that is unique : the only one of its kind

mistaking the unique for the typical — W.J.Reilly

the zest of the collector for possession of a unique — Roy Bedichek

a display of glass, including undercoated uniques — Danish Foreign Office Journal

the phoenix, the unique of birds — Thomas De Quincey

Webster's New International English Dictionary.      Новый международный словарь английского языка Webster.