unprecedented
adjective
un·prec·e·dent·ed
ˌən-ˈpre-sə-ˌden-təd 
: having no precedent : novel, unexampled
unprecedentedly
adverb
Synonyms
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.
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
Therein lies the problem for thousands of immigrants, primarily from the countries of Mauritania and Senegal, who have landed in Lockland over the past year seeking asylum during an unprecedented surge in immigration.
—Randy Tucker, The Enquirer, 30 Oct. 2024
The election comes at a critical time for Taiwan, as China has launched unprecedented military drills around the island and threatened the death penalty for advocates of Taiwanese independence.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2024
Over eight decades, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has built an unprecedented global support system for the world’s children.
—Unicef Usa, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
From major rivers like the Ganges, Amazon, Mekong, and Mississippi dropping to historically low levels, to the U.S., Mexico, and much of Europe being repeatedly hit by catastrophic storms and flooding, the world is facing unprecedented climate extremes.
—Andrea Meza, TIME, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for unprecedented 
Randy Tucker, The Enquirer, 30 Oct. 2024
The election comes at a critical time for Taiwan, as China has launched unprecedented military drills around the island and threatened the death penalty for advocates of Taiwanese independence.
—Laura King, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2024
Over eight decades, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has built an unprecedented global support system for the world’s children.
—Unicef Usa, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
From major rivers like the Ganges, Amazon, Mekong, and Mississippi dropping to historically low levels, to the U.S., Mexico, and much of Europe being repeatedly hit by catastrophic storms and flooding, the world is facing unprecedented climate extremes.
—Andrea Meza, TIME, 29 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for unprecedented
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'unprecedented.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near unprecedented
Cite this Entry
“Unprecedented.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unprecedented. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
unprecedented
adjective
un·prec·e·dent·ed
ˌən-ˈpres-ə-ˌdent-əd
ˈən-
: having no precedent : not done or experienced before
an unprecedented achievement
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