English vocabulary · C1
Unprecedented
/ʌnˈpresɪdentɪd/ · adj.
Something unprecedented has never happened or been known before. There is no past case like it, so an old answer may not work well.
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Example sentences
- Unprecedented rain closed schools.
- Sales reached unprecedented highs.
Word origin and roots
from English
- un — not (from English)
- precedent — past case (from English)
Synonyms and nuances
- NEW — not there before (Not seen before)
- NOVEL — not seen before (Fresh to people)
- UNIQUE — not like others (Only one)
Words with the same root
precedent — past case
- precedent — an earlier case
Lesson notes
Something unprecedented has never happened or been known before. There is no past case like it, so an old answer may not work well.
Related: new, novel, unique. Use unprecedented when it never happened.
Unprecedented rain closed schools. Sales reached unprecedented highs.
From English. Un- means not. Precedent- means past case. Not one past case: unprecedented.