unprecedented

adjective

un·prec·e·dent·ed | \ ˌən-ˈpre-sə-ˌden-təd

Definition of unprecedented

: having no precedent : novel, unexampled

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Examples of unprecedented in a Sentence

… on one occasion, a president (Eisenhower) refers to himself as "conservative." Four years later, the Republican presidential nominee (Goldwater) announces that he is "a conservative." Another sixteen years later, Ronald Reagan, a self-declared conservative, is elected president by an overwhelming majority. By that time—1980—more Americans identify themselves as conservatives than as liberals. This was, and remains, a tectonic transformation, unprecedented in American history. — John Lukacs, Harper's, March 2008 Faced with an unprecedented crisis that combines cyclical turbulence with metastasizing digital technology that steals away revenue and readers at an alarming and seemingly accelerating rate (while offering newspapers only stingy payoffs), publishers and editors everywhere have thrown away their rule books—and, to find their way in this new and alien environment, are ready to implement previously unthinkable changes. — Mark Fitzgerald et al., Editor & Publisher, August 2008 Many of the forces that initially sent the economy into a tailspin in 1929 and 1930 have been at work in the 2000s as well: a stock-market boom turned bust, a real estate boom turned bust, unprecedented levels of consumer debt. — Justin Fox, Time, 10 Mar. 2008 Shakespeare served as exemplar of the writer who achieved success, and an unprecedented degree of financial reward, from his pen alone. — Jonathan Bate, Harper's, April 2007 Fan fiction … was once mainly a fringe pursuit. Now, it's changing the world of fiction, as Internet exposure helps unknown authors find mainstream success. Some Web sites are attracting unprecedented numbers of readers and, in some cases, leading to book deals. — John Jurgensen, Wall Street Journal, 16–17 Sept. 2006 Shocking as it is, more than a month after the hurricane hit, New Orleans is still, for all practical purposes, a ghost town. The entire population has left—an unprecedented situation in modern times in any major city anywhere. — Tom Piazza, Why New Orleans Matters, 2005 The team has enjoyed unprecedented success this year. This level of growth is unprecedented. An unprecedented number of students are taking the class.

Recent Examples on the Web

Last season at Jeremy Scott, there was an unexpected—if not unprecedented—lack of color. — Lauren Valenti, Vogue, "Jem and the Holograms," 7 Sep. 2019 Originally airing its first episode on September 22, 1994, the NBC hit show quickly gained an unprecedented fandom that extends past the United States and stretches across generations. — Selena Barrientos, House Beautiful, "Friends' Iconic Central Perk Sofa Is Going On Tour—Here’s Where You Can Find One," 4 Sep. 2019 As scientists peer further back in time and uncover evolutionary relationships in unprecedented detail, their findings are complicating the narrative of human history and rescuing some formerly missing chapters from obscurity. — Quanta Magazine, "Fossil DNA Reveals New Twists in Modern Human Origins," 29 Aug. 2019 Unlike the rest of us who eagerly await the latest Kardashian post on social media, the staff at Kourtney’s Kardashian’s lifestyle website, Poosh, have unprecedented access to the famous mom’s top fitness picks. — Braelyn Wood, Health.com, "Kourtney Kardashian's Favorite Leggings Are So Good, Everyone Should Own A Pair," 26 Aug. 2019 This specific move is not unprecedented—Harry Truman waved $100 million in front of Denmark in 1946, and the State Department opened (and then closed) an inquiry into buying Greenland and Iceland in 1867. — Nick Martin, The New Republic, "The Colonizers Have Turned Their Eyes to Greenland," 16 Aug. 2019 Since 2012, Jornet has produced several unprecedented performances in the category of high-altitude running. — Martin Fritz Huber, Outside Online, "Will Kilian Jornet Break Running’s Toughest Record?," 23 Aug. 2019 The assault on Cathay is unprecedented in its speed and scope. — The Economist, "Cathay Pacific’s fate rattles multinationals in Hong Kong," 22 Aug. 2019 The exodus is unprecedented in recent Latin American history and is one of the largest mass displacements of people in the world today. — Washington Post, "UN envoy: International aid for Venezuela exodus falls short," 21 Aug. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'unprecedented.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for unprecedented

unprecedented

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of unprecedented

: not done or experienced before

See the full definition for unprecedented in the English Language Learners Dictionary

unprecedented

adjective

un·prec·e·dent·ed | \ ˌən-ˈpre-sə-ˌden-təd

Kids Definition of unprecedented

: not done or experienced before The event was unprecedented.

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unprecedented

Definition of unprecedented

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Synonyms & Antonyms for unprecedented

Examples of unprecedented in a Sentence

First Known Use of unprecedented

English Language Learners Definition of unprecedented

Kids Definition of unprecedented

unprecedented

Definition of unprecedented

Other Words from unprecedented

Synonyms & Antonyms for unprecedented

Examples of unprecedented in a Sentence

First Known Use of unprecedented

English Language Learners Definition of unprecedented

Kids Definition of unprecedented

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