sin·gu·lar
ˈsiŋ-gyə-lər 
1
a
: of or relating to a separate person or thing : individual
b
: of, relating to, or being a word form denoting one person, thing, or instance
a singular noun
c
: of or relating to a single instance or to something considered by itself
2
: distinguished by superiority : exceptional
an artist of singular attainments
3
: being out of the ordinary : unusual
on the way home we had a singular adventure
5
a
of a matrix
: having a determinant equal to zero
b
of a linear transformation
: having the property that the matrix of coefficients of the new variables has a determinant equal to zero
singularly
adverb
1
: the singular number, the inflectional form denoting it, or a word in that form
2
: a singular term
Synonyms
Examples of singular in a Sentence
Adjective
In the phrase “his car is red,” the word “car” is a singular noun.
He had a singular appearance.
Recent Examples on the Web
Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Apr. 2024
For a half century, our country has offered no greater stimulus to our own inquisitiveness than George Will himself.
2024 marks Washington Post readers’ 50th anniversary as the first-crack beneficiaries of his singular wisdom and wit.
—Mitch Daniels, National Review, 3 Apr. 2024
Ferrell’s aesthetic, like her music, is a singular blend that joins past with present: 19th century carnival-core, art nouveau huntress, cosmic cowgirl, anime pixie and futuristic Las Vegas showgirl.
—Erin Osmon, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
But mining for gold and cassiterite, a mineral used in electronics, exacerbates the environmental problems with singular ferocity.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
The duo’s folky-Americana-meets-country-soul style remains intact on the album while their singular voices reach new heights.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 29 Mar. 2024
This viral wavy dress—made to flatter all body types—exemplifies the brand's singular vision.
—Perrie Samotin, Glamour, 29 Mar. 2024
While the brutal legacy of slavery is undeniably a central pillar, the scope of reparations extends far beyond this singular atrocity.
—Britney Porter, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
The largest singular financial contribution from a country is a $13.4 billion US grant to Ukraine’s government to help with various budgetary and infrastructure needs, including support for Ukraine’s energy security, according to the House Appropriations Committee.
—Henrik Pettersson, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 25 Jan. 2024
But in his singular — at times, prohibitive — focus on the threat posed by China, Colby downgrades the significance of seemingly every other American strategic priority.
—Noah Rothman, National Review, 23 Jan. 2024
The truck’s unusual design and construction, which consists of angular stainless steel and that giant singular wipe blade, have been frequently cited as being to blame for its lengthy development.
—Jon Porter, The Verge, 2 Oct. 2023
For the first two hours, audiences get Diaz’s singular take on a detective story, suspecting that there can be no satisfying resolution to such a case — or countless others in real life.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 12 Aug. 2023
Down near the park, Susuru still sings for skewers, as does its new sibling, Juju — though each izakaya offers its own singular delights.
—Amy Drew Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 24 Feb. 2023
The former's singular, PEN/Faulkner Award-winning novel Behold the Dreamers concerns the collapse of Lehman Brothers; the latter has written three books centered largely on Pan-American communities.
—Seija Rankin, EW.com, 9 Mar. 2021
But the Jazz found the convincing means by which to keep the former singular and the latter plural, getting a second huge victory in three days.
—Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 22 Aug. 2020
Adjective
In Música, the artist mines his personal life and singular experience of the world to craft a charming coming-of-age story.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 4 Apr. 2024
For a half century, our country has offered no greater stimulus to our own inquisitiveness than George Will himself.
2024 marks Washington Post readers’ 50th anniversary as the first-crack beneficiaries of his singular wisdom and wit.
—Mitch Daniels, National Review, 3 Apr. 2024
Ferrell’s aesthetic, like her music, is a singular blend that joins past with present: 19th century carnival-core, art nouveau huntress, cosmic cowgirl, anime pixie and futuristic Las Vegas showgirl.
—Erin Osmon, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
But mining for gold and cassiterite, a mineral used in electronics, exacerbates the environmental problems with singular ferocity.
—Jon Lee Anderson, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
The duo’s folky-Americana-meets-country-soul style remains intact on the album while their singular voices reach new heights.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 29 Mar. 2024
This viral wavy dress—made to flatter all body types—exemplifies the brand's singular vision.
—Perrie Samotin, Glamour, 29 Mar. 2024
While the brutal legacy of slavery is undeniably a central pillar, the scope of reparations extends far beyond this singular atrocity.
—Britney Porter, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
The largest singular financial contribution from a country is a $13.4 billion US grant to Ukraine’s government to help with various budgetary and infrastructure needs, including support for Ukraine’s energy security, according to the House Appropriations Committee.
—Henrik Pettersson, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024
Noun
Fortunately, though the show participated in Under the Radar, director Dmitry Krymov’s singular take on the most beloved Russian book by the most beloved Russian writer is still playing at BRIC through January 28.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 25 Jan. 2024
But in his singular — at times, prohibitive — focus on the threat posed by China, Colby downgrades the significance of seemingly every other American strategic priority.
—Noah Rothman, National Review, 23 Jan. 2024
The truck’s unusual design and construction, which consists of angular stainless steel and that giant singular wipe blade, have been frequently cited as being to blame for its lengthy development.
—Jon Porter, The Verge, 2 Oct. 2023
For the first two hours, audiences get Diaz’s singular take on a detective story, suspecting that there can be no satisfying resolution to such a case — or countless others in real life.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 12 Aug. 2023
Down near the park, Susuru still sings for skewers, as does its new sibling, Juju — though each izakaya offers its own singular delights.
—Amy Drew Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 24 Feb. 2023
The former's singular, PEN/Faulkner Award-winning novel Behold the Dreamers concerns the collapse of Lehman Brothers; the latter has written three books centered largely on Pan-American communities.
—Seija Rankin, EW.com, 9 Mar. 2021
But the Jazz found the convincing means by which to keep the former singular and the latter plural, getting a second huge victory in three days.
—Gordon Monson, The Salt Lake Tribune, 22 Aug. 2020
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'singular.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to singular
Dictionary Entries Near singular
Cite this Entry
“Singular.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/singular. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
singular
1 of 2 adjective
sin·gu·lar
ˈsiŋ-gyə-lər
1
a
: of or relating to a separate person or thing : individual
b
: of, relating to, or constituting a word form denoting one person, thing, or instance
a singular noun
c
: of or relating to a single instance or to something considered by itself
3
: different from general expectations : peculiar
singularly
adverb
singular
2 of 2 noun
: something that is singular
especially
: the singular number, the inflectional form denoting it, or a word in that form
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