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

Smith described it as “a beautiful collection of memory, love, joy and sadness — all of it pooled together in a singular experience.”

From Los Angeles Times

Around the world, populist autocrats have leveraged the thrilling power of that promise to transform their countries into vehicles for their own singular will.

From Salon

Enumerating the areas of his curiosity alone could take four hours, so the focus here is more on his output, whose scope and impact are singular even now.

From New York Times

In this way, Medvedev determined the Crab Pulsar's plasma matter causes diffraction in the electromagnetic pulses responsible for the neutron star's singular zebra pattern.

From Science Daily

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

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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