singular

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adjective

sin·gu·lar ˈsiŋ-gyə-lər

: of or relating to a separate person or thing : individual

: of, relating to, or being a word form denoting one person, thing, or instance

a singular noun

: of or relating to a single instance or to something considered by itself

: distinguished by superiority : exceptional

an artist of singular attainments

: being out of the ordinary : unusual

on the way home we had a singular adventure

: departing from general usage or expectation : peculiar, odd

the air had a singular chill

of a matrix : having a determinant equal to zero

of a linear transformation : having the property that the matrix of coefficients of the new variables has a determinant equal to zero

singularly adverb

singular

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noun

: the singular number, the inflectional form denoting it, or a word in that form

: a singular term

Choose the Right Synonym for singular

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

Example Sentences

Adjective In the phrase “his car is red,” the word “car” is a singular noun. He had a singular appearance.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Thriller spent 37 nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 1983-84 — the most weeks at No. 1 for an album by a singular artist.

Keith Caulfield, Billboard, 27 Nov. 2022 But tragically, Sill died of a drug overdose in 1979, never reaching the same heights as some of her peers, like Browne, Graham Nash, Linda Ronstadt, and J.D. Souther — all of whom rave about Sill’s singular talent in the new Lost Angel teaser.

Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 2 Nov. 2022 Kaitlyn Dever — the star of Hulu’s new Rosaline movie that debuts on Friday and offers a fresh, comedic take on Romeo & Juliet — is an actress of uncommon ability and singular talent.

Andy Meek, BGR, 13 Oct. 2022 Through six regions, including the Oregon Coast, the Galápagos Islands and the Antarctic, Lopez uses his singular literary voice and experience traveling in more than 70 countries to create an autobiography infused with wonder, urgency and concern.

Erin E. Williams, Washington Post, 14 July 2022 These are all signs of a singular talent, who, with some lucky breaks, just might fill Summerfest’s American Family Insurance Amphitheater someday.

Journal Sentinel, 2 July 2022 Combined with Garland's singular talent and expressiveness, her cultural significance is here to stay, particularly to the LGBTQ community.

Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 29 June 2022 For a program that has lost its way over and over again since losing to Alabama in the 2009 national championship game, Manning gives Texas the chance to reboot and refocus around a singular talent capable of meeting and exceeding the hype.

Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY, 23 June 2022 Doncic powered a frantic third-quarter rally that trimmed Dallas’s deficit to 8, but over the course of the series his singular talent was dwarfed by Golden State’s advantages in experience and depth.

BostonGlobe.com, 27 May 2022

Noun

The former's singular, PEN/Faulkner Award-winning novel Behold the Dreamers concerns the collapse of Lehman Brothers; the latter has written three books centered largely on Pan-American communities.

Seija Rankin, EW.com, 9 Mar. 2021 But the Jazz found the convincing means by which to keep the former singular and the latter plural, getting a second huge victory in three days.

Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 22 Aug. 2020 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'singular.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.