The Meaning of Unprecedented: What It Is and How To Use It

Do you know the definition of unprecedented? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word unprecedented, including its definition, etymology, usage, example sentences, and more!

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What does the word unprecedented mean?

According to Collins English Dictionary, and the American Heritage Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, the word unprecedented is an adjective that means having never happened before, or great in quality, amount or scale, or not having the authority of prior example or previous example. Many things can be unprecedented including unprecedented levels, unprecedented demand, an unprecedented degree, an unprecedented streak, an unprecedented rate, unprecedented step, unprecedented times, and more. Unprecedented is five syllables – un-pre-ce-dent-ed – and the pronunciation of unprecedented is ʌnprɛsɪdɛntɪd. The adverb form of unprecedented is unprecedentedly and the noun version uses the suffix ness. 

There are many other languages that contain words meaning unprecedented. You might notice that many of these words look and sound similarly to one another. These are called cognates, which are words and phrases that mean the same thing as well as look and sound similar across languages. This often happens when the two words or languages share a common Greek or Latin root or language of origin like Latin or Greek. This list of translations for the word unprecedented is provided by Word Sense, but you could also find them in a Spanish Dictionary, French electronic resource or German Dictionary, amongst others.

  •  ​​Bengali: অপূর্ব‎
  •  Portuguese: sem precedentes‎
  •  Czech: bezpříkladný‎ (masc.)
  •  Dutch: zonder precedent‎
  •  Finnish: ennennäkemätön‎, ennen kokematon‎
  •  French: sans précédent‎
  •  Hebrew: חסר תקדים‎ (ḥasar takdim)
  •  Spanish: sin‎ precedente‎
  •  Swedish: exempellös‎, oöverträffad‎, makalös‎, utan motstycke‎ (placed after the noun)
  •  German: beispiellos‎
  •  Russian: беспрецеде́нтный‎
  •  Italian: senza precedenti‎
  •  Japanese: 前例‎, 空前‎ (くうぜん, kūzen)
  •  Arabic: غَيْر مَسْبُوق‎
  •  Chinese – Mandarin: 空前‎, 前所未有‎ (qiánsuǒwèiyǒu), 史無前例‎, 史无前例‎ (shǐwúqiánlì)
  •  Esperanto: senprecedenca‎
  •  Turkish: emsali olmayan‎, emsalsiz‎ (law), eşi benzeri görülmemiş‎, eşi görülmemiş‎, görülmemiş‎

How can the word unprecedented be used in a sentence?

The word unprecedented can be used in many different sentences in the English language. Below are a few examples of unprecedented. Try making flashcards or a quiz to memorize this word’s definition and using this word of the day in a sentence today!

The football player’s fifth straight 1,000-yard season was unprecedented for the tight end on the team. The first week after his award, they joked about counting his runs in acres and that he could escape predators. He was always in the zone. 

At the Mandarin Hit Songs’ awards  in Taiwan, the music videos that won the awards on the local music charts won a limited edition unprecedented commemorate edition of the trophy that were shaped like an album. Such experiences were once in a lifetime. 

On a global scale eradication of the disease in recent years would be unprecedented. 

After the Depression, the United States showed unprecedented prosperity. 

In December, the police had an unprecedented number of arrests. They had a thirty percent increase from all of the additional tourism.

What are synonyms and antonyms of unprecedented?

There are many different words and phrases that someone can use in place of the word unprecedented. These are called synonyms, which are words and phrases that have the same meaning as another word or phrase. Synonyms are a useful English grammatical device to know. They are an easy way to build your vocabulary, and can help you avoid repeating yourself in conversation and written works. This list of synonyms for the word unprecedented is provided by Power Thesaurus

  •  phenomenal
  •  pioneering
  •  first
  •  out of the ordinary
  •  inventive
  •  preternatural
  •  singular
  •  unrivalled
  •  odd
  •  unknown
  •  unexampled
  •  matchless
  •  without equal
  •  curious
  •  unaccustomed
  •  marvelous
  •  infrequent
  •  unimaginable
  •  idiosyncratic
  •  noteworthy
  •  imaginative
  •  inimitable
  •  rare
  •  breaking new ground
  •  exceptional
  •  newfangled
  •  eccentric
  •  unheard-of
  •  prodigious
  •  original
  •  striking
  •  record
  •  one-of-a-kind
  •  unrivaled
  •  fresh
  •  unequaled
  •  special
  •  outstanding
  •  bohemian
  •  outlandish
  •  new
  •  unsurpassed
  •  peculiar
  •  unique
  •  incredible
  •  astonishing
  •  unusual
  •  amazing
  •  without parallel
  •  gold standard
  •  freakish
  •  sensational
  •  groundbreaking
  •  signal
  •  epoch-making
  •  fabulous
  •  previous
  •  anomalous
  •  unequalled
  •  astounding
  •  uncommon
  •  notable
  •  unconventional
  •  incomparable
  •  aberrant
  •  atypical
  •  unparalleled
  •  miraculous
  •  without precedent
  •  record-breaking
  •  all-time
  •  fantastic
  •  bizarre
  •  unheard of
  •  unexpected
  •  unorthodox
  •  unprecedentedly
  •  exotic
  •  extraordinary
  •  peerless
  •  inconceived
  •  second to none
  •  modern
  •  unsuspected
  •  weird
  •  unwonted
  •  remarkable
  •  strange
  •  novel
  •  different
  •  first-time
  •  abnormal
  •  unfamiliar
  •  unmatched
  •  one of a kind
  •  innovative
  •  highest
  •  queer
  •  irregular
  •  revolutionary
  •  in a class by itself
  •  de novo

There are also numerous different words that have the opposite definition as the word digress. These opposite words are called antonyms. Antonyms are also useful to know if you are working on expanding your vocabulary. This list of antonyms for the word digress is also provided by Power Thesaurus.

  •  nothing special
  •  cobwebby
  •  banal
  •  prosaic
  •  familiar
  •  hack
  •  mundane
  •  well-known
  •  as old as methuselah
  •  antiquarian
  •  everyday
  •  threadbare
  •  prescriptive
  •  frumpish
  •  anachronistic
  •  not updated
  •  traditional
  •  well studied
  •  obligatory
  •  extremely old
  •  hackneyed
  •  humdrum
  •  casual
  •  old
  •  tired
  •  customary
  •  older than dirt
  •  older than the hills
  •  moth-eaten
  •  typical
  •  white-bread
  •  cliché
  •  bourgeois
  •  antediluvian
  •  platitudinous
  •  middling
  •  normal
  •  majority
  •  imitative
  •  old as methuselah
  •  natural
  •  mutual
  •  generally accepted
  •  well-studied
  •  all right
  •  widely known
  •  old as the hills
  •  precedented
  •  mediocre
  •  old as time
  •  stereotype
  •  homely
  •  dismal
  •  over-worked
  •  cookie-cutter
  •  commonplace
  •  trite
  •  conventional
  •  coarse
  •  hackney
  •  scheduled
  •  quotidian
  •  very old
  •  all too common
  •  unexceptional
  •  run-of-the-mill
  •  stale
  •  non-descript
  •  as old as the hills
  •  usual
  •  regular
  •  cut-and-dried
  •  as old as the sea
  •  all-too-common
  •  known
  •  classical
  •  as old as adam
  •  common
  •  corny
  •  derivative
  •  routine
  •  nasty
  •  cliched
  •  average
  •  plain
  •  shopworn
  •  unremarkable
  •  communal
  •  well known
  •  musty
  •  ordinary
  •  fairly common
  •  orthodox
  •  outmoded
  •  rife
  •  general
  •  as old as time
  •  fair
  •  nondescript
  •  habitual

Overall, the word unprecedented means never having happened before. Something that is unprecedented is brand new.

Sources:

  1. Unprecedented definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary
  2. unprecedented: meaning, origin, translation | Word Sense  
  3. Unprecedented synonyms – 503 Words and Phrases for Unprecedented | Power Thesaurus 
  4. Unprecedented antonyms – 119 Opposites of Unprecedented | Power Thesaurus