singular

[ sing-gyuh-ler ]

adjective

1. extraordinary; remarkable; exceptional:

   a singular success.

   Synonyms: peculiar

   Antonyms: usual

2. unusual or strange; odd; different:

   singular behavior.

   Synonyms: curious, queer, bizarre, peculiar

3. being the only one of its kind; distinctive; unique:

   a singular example.

   Synonyms: rare, uncommon, peculiar

4. separate; individual.

   Synonyms: single, peculiar

5. Grammar. noting or pertaining to a member of the category of number found in many languages that indicates that a word form has one referent or denotes one person, place, thing, or instance, as English boy and thing, which are singular nouns, or goes, a singular form of the verb go. Compare dual ( def 4 ), plural ( def 4 ).
6. Logic.
   1. of or relating to something individual, specific, or not general.
   2. (of a proposition) containing no quantifiers, as “Socrates was mortal.”
7. Mathematics.
   1. of or relating to a linear transformation from a vector space to itself that is not one-to-one.
   2. of or relating to a matrix having a determinant equal to zero.
8. Obsolete. private.
9. Obsolete. single.

noun

, Grammar.

1. the singular number.
2. a form in the singular.

singular

/ ˈsɪŋɡjʊlə /

adjective

1. remarkable; exceptional; extraordinary

   a singular feat

2. unusual; odd

   a singular character

3. unique
4. denoting a word or an inflected form of a word indicating that not more than one referent is being referred to or described
5. logic of or referring to a specific thing or person as opposed to something general

noun

1. grammar
   1. the singular number
   2. a singular form of a word

singular

1. In nouns , pronouns , and verbs , the grammatical form that refers to only one thing. In the following sentence, the singular words are italicized: “The police officer stops anyone who crosses before the light changes .” ( Compare plural ; see agreement .)

Derived Forms

• ˈsingularness, noun
• ˈsingularly, adverb

Other Words From

• singu·lar·ly adverb
• singu·lar·ness noun
• super·singu·lar adjective
• un·singu·lar adjective
• un·singu·lar·ly adverb
• un·singu·lar·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of singular¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English word from Latin word singulāris. See single, -ar ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of singular¹

C14: from Latin singulāris single

Example Sentences

But for a unique stage show with a singular origin story, it might just be the right prescription.

From Los Angeles Times

So being able to storytell around a singular narrative of the fastest athletes in the world is what we’re focused on because that’s the battle that we feel like we can win.”

From Los Angeles Times

I always prided myself on being singular — not really being part of a milieu.

From Los Angeles Times

President Biden will leave office having made a historic but singular appointment in Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the court’s first Black woman.

From Los Angeles Times

But he positioned himself as a singular, historic figure.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bizarre
• exceptional
• extraordinary
• peculiar
• rare
• remarkable
• strange
• uncommon
• unimaginable
• unparalleled
• unprecedented
• unusual