extraordinary

Everyday

1. Extraordinary means very unusual, surprising or special, much more than ordinary. tree →
2. Very great or very good: «extraordinary talent». tree →
3. (formal) Extra or special, outside the normal plan: «an extraordinary meeting». tree →

In the lessons

Used in stories, science (extraordinary discoveries), news and praise. Phrases: «an extraordinary story», «extraordinary courage», «quite extraordinary». It tells the reader something stands out a lot.

Examples

• The magician did an extraordinary trick. tree →
• She showed extraordinary courage in the storm. tree →
• It's extraordinary that the cat found its way home. tree →
• The octopus is an extraordinary animal. tree →
• He has an extraordinary memory for numbers. tree →
• The council held an extraordinary meeting. tree →
• "What an adventure! how extraordinary!" she cried. tree →

Note

Many people say it «ex-TROR-din-ree», blending «extra» and «ordinary». «An extraordinary» (vowel sound). Adverb: extraordinarily. It does not mean «more ordinary»; it means «beyond ordinary».

In Jewish tradition

In Sefer Yetzirah commentary it is used of things that are marvelous or beyond human understanding and so seem divine.

Interpretation. Tradition reads such wonders as signs of God's power beyond what people can grasp.

Examples

• It tends to be used of things that are marvelous, miraculous, or otherwise supernatural and extraordinary, i.e. that which defies the human ability to do or understand and must therefore be divine, e.g. [Deuteronomy 28:59], [Psalm 118:23], [Psalm 139:6]. (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation) tree →
• He further says: "Many writers have from time to time remarked upon the extraordinary magnitude of the numbers with which we deal in this subject. (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914)) tree →

Note

Many people say it «ex-TROR-din-ree», blending «extra» and «ordinary». «An extraordinary» (vowel sound). Adverb: extraordinarily. It does not mean «more ordinary»; it means «beyond ordinary».