u·nique

(yo͞o-nēk′)

adj.

1. Being the only one of its kind: the unique existing example of Donne's handwriting.

2. Characteristic only of a particular category or entity: a weather pattern that is unique to coastal areas.

3. Remarkable; extraordinary: a unique opportunity to buy a house.

[French, from Old French, from Latin ūnicus; see oi-no- in Indo-European roots.]

u·nique′ly adv.

u·nique′ness n.

Usage Note: Unique may be the foremost example of an absolute term—a term that, in the eyes of traditional grammarians, should not allow comparison or modification by an adverb of degree like very, somewhat, or quite. Thus, most grammarians believe that it is incorrect to say that something is very unique or more unique than something else, though phrases such as nearly unique and almost unique are presumably acceptable, since in these cases unique is not modified by an adverb of degree. A substantial majority of the Usage Panel supports the traditional view. In our 2004 survey, 66 percent of the Panelists disapproved of the sentence Her designs are quite unique in today's fashion, although in our 1988 survey, 80 percent rejected this same sentence, suggesting that resistance to this usage may be waning. · In fact, the nontraditional modification of unique may be found in the work of many reputable writers and has certainly been put to effective use: "I am in the rather unique position of being the son, the grandson, and the great-grandson of preachers" (Martin Luther King, Jr.)."The creature is so unique in its style and appearance that the biologists who discovered it have given it not just its own species name ... but have moved way up the classification scale and declared that it is an entirely new phylum" (Natalie Angier). See Usage Notes at absolute, equal.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Adv.

uniquely - so as to be unique; "he could determine uniquely the properties of the compound"

unambiguously

Translations

uniquement

unicamente

uniquely

[juːˈniːklɪ] ADV she is uniquely qualified for the job → está excepcionalmente capacitada para el puesto
to be uniquely placed to do sth → encontrarse en una posición de excepción para hacer algo
a uniquely British characteristic → una característica exclusivamente británica

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

uniquely

[juːˈniːkli] adv

(= alone) uniquely among → cas unique parmi, à la différence des autres

(= specially) uniquely fragile → d'une fragilité peu commune
to be uniquely qualified to do sth → être le mieux apte à faire qch(la)
He considers himself uniquely qualified to be president → Il se considère le mieux apte à occuper les fonctions de président.

(= exclusively) → uniquement
The problem isn't uniquely American → Le problème n'est pas uniquement américain.

uniquely

adv (= solely) → einzig und allein, nur; (= outstandingly) → einmalig (inf), → unübertrefflich; uniquely suited → außergewöhnlich geeignet; Mary is uniquely qualified for the job → Mary hat einzigartige or außergewöhnliche Qualifikationen für die Stellung; uniquely among … → einzigartig unter … (+dat)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

uniquely

[juːˈniːklɪ] adv (talented) → eccezionalmente; (confined) → unicamente
this is a uniquely western phenomenon → è un fenomeno limitato al mondo occidentale