singular

American  

[sing-gyuh-ler] / ˈsɪŋ gyə lər /

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.

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.

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noun

Grammar.

1. the singular number.

2. a form in the singular.

singular British  

/ 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

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noun

1. grammar

   1. the singular number

   2. a singular form of a word

singular Cultural  

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.)

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Other Word Forms

• singularly adverb
• singularness noun
• supersingular adjective
• unsingular adjective
• unsingularly adverb
• unsingularness noun

Etymology

Origin of singular

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

Explanation

If something is extraordinary, remarkable, or one of a kind, you can say it is singular. A singular opportunity to sing onstage with a rock star is a remarkable opportunity. Seeing the single inside singular can help you understand its meaning in the sense of one. In grammar, singular means one, as opposed to plural, which means more than one. But singular’s not always––or singularly––about being unique. Walking through a foggy cemetery might give you a singular feeling––or a feeling that’s odd and peculiar––that ghosts could possibly be real.

Example Sentences

"It's not something that I ever expected, you know, because I've always been a sort of singular animal," Cox admits.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

Part of what makes questions around the show so difficult to answer is how singular “Euphoria” felt when it first arrived in 2019.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

Our critic praised the show, saying “as an honest, comprehensive portrait of a singular, impassioned artist, ‘Wifredo Lam’ is genuinely stirring.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

It’s a faithful facsimile—with a singular ingredient absent: the soulful performance of Al Pacino in the central role of the hapless bank robber Sonny.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

“I had, but this was a singular opportunity I could not resist.”

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Related Words

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