extraordinary

Universal Words adjective 1 unexpected, surprising or strange: It's extraordinary that he managed to sleep through the party. * What an extraordinary thing to say! * The president took the extraordinary step of apologizing publicly for his behaviour! 2 not normal or ordinary; greater or better than usual: an extraordinary achievement * She was a truly extraordinary woman. * They went to extraordinary lengths to explain their behaviour. compareORDINARY 3 [onlybeforenoun] (formal) (of a meeting, etc.) arranged for a special purpose and happening in addition to what normally or regularly happens: An extraordinary meeting was held to discuss the problem. 4 (following nouns) (technical) (of an official) employed for a special purpose in addition to the usual staff: an envoy extraordinary extraordinarily adverb: He behaves extraordinarily for someone in his position. * extraordinarily difficult * She did extraordinarily well.