Adjective: singular
Comparison Forms
Synthetic
Perifrastic
| Comparative | more singular |
| Superlative | most singular |
Sample Sentences
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A singular experiment cannot be regarded as scientific proof of the existence of a phenomenon.
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And God forbid that all a company / Should rue a singular manne's folly. (And may God forbid that a whole group should suffer for a single man's folly.) [1387–1400, Geoffrey Chaucer, “The Canon’s Yeoman’s Tale”, in The Canterbury Tales, [Westminster: William Caxton, published 1478], →OCLC; Charles Cowden Clarke, editor, The Canterbury Tales of Chaucer. […], 2nd edition, volume III, Edinburgh: James Nichol; London: James Nisbet & Co.; Dublin: W. Robertson, 1860, →OCLC, page 158:]
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She has a singular personality.
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The busts[…] of the emperors and empresses are all very scarce, and some of them almost singular in their kind. [1705, J[oseph] Addison, Remarks on Several Parts of Italy, &c. in the Years 1701, 1702, 1703, London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:]
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singular instances [1620, Francis Bacon, Novum Organum:]
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A group of finches, of which Mr. Gould considers there are thirteen species; and these he has distributed into for new sub-genera. These birds are the most singular of any in the archipelago. [1839, Charles Darwin, Narrative of the Surveying Voyages of His Majesty’s Ships Adventure and Beagle, between the Years 1826 and 1836, […], volume III, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, pages 461–462:]
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a man of singular gravity or attainments
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It was very singular; I don't know why he did it.
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So ſingular a ſadneſs / Muſt have a cauſe as ſtrange as the effect: […] [1641 (first performance), [John Denham], The Sophy. […], 2nd edition, London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for H[enry] Herringman, […], published 1667, →OCLC, Act I, scene ii, page 11:]
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His zeal / None seconded, as out of season judged, / Or singular and rash. [1667, John Milton, “Book V”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:]
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to convey several parcels of land, all and singular
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Cel[adon]. […] Hovv do Meliſſa’s tvvo fair Daughters? / Aſt[eria]. VVhen you tell me vvhich of ’em you are in love vvith, I’le anſvver you. / Cel. VVhich of ’em, naughty ſiſter, vvhat a question’s there? VVith both of ’em, vvith each and singular of ’em. [1667 March 12 (first performance; Gregorian calendar), John Dryden, Secret-Love, or The Maiden-Queen: […], London: […] Henry Herringman, […], published 1668, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 1:]
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Thus made he an end, and the two princes allowed well of his last motion, and so order was taken, that they should fight togither in a singular combat [1577, Raphaell Holinshed, The Firste Volume of the Chronicles of England, Scotlande, and Irelande […], volume I, London: […] [Henry Bynneman] for Iohn Harrison, →OCLC:]
Adjectives inflected like singular
priest-ridden,
unreposed,
evadible,
dissentious,
dissentient,
unforesighted,
egocentrical,
unephemeral,
unennobling,
mensuralist,
flocculent,
unseductive,
whoopsy,
whooshy,
surrogate,
Nicodian,
unrepaired,
prismatoidal,
renorenal,
unseducible, etc. (List truncated at 20 adjectives)
Etymology
From Middle English singuler, from Old French, from Latin singulāris (“alone of its kind”), from Latin singulus (“single”). See: Latin Adjectives '
singulāris'.
Verbs referencing "singular"
Finnish Adjectives
singulaarinen.