Set 27 · Study 1 / 5

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unique

adjective/ˌjuˈnik/

not like anything else; very special

He thinks he is unique just because he does things slightly differently than everyone else in the office.

unusualuncommonspecialone of a kind
word origin — early 17th century: from French, from Latin unicus, from unus ‘one’

Intermediate — Set 27

Set 27 of Intermediate covers 5 words: unique, ancient, primary, frequent, multiple. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.

  1. unique · adjective/ˌjuˈnik/

    not like anything else; very special

    He thinks he is unique just because he does things slightly differently than everyone else in the office.

    Synonyms: unusual, uncommon, special, one of a kind

    Origin: early 17th century: from French, from Latin unicus, from unus ‘one’

  2. ancient · adjective/ˈeɪn(t)ʃənt/

    very old

    Many different groups of people have lived here since ancient times.

    Synonyms: age-old

    Origin: late Middle English: from Old French ancien, based on Latin ante ‘before’

  3. primary · adjective/ˈpraɪˌmɛri/

    most important; main

    Sarah's laziness is the primary reason why she keeps failing.

    Synonyms: chief, key

    Origin: late Middle English (in the sense ‘original, not derivative’): from Latin primarius, from primus ‘first’. The noun uses date from the 18th century

  4. frequent · adjective/ˈfrikwənt/

    happening very often

    Foot pain is more frequent among women than among men, possibly because of the different types of shoes they wear.

    Synonyms: repeated, regular

    Origin: late Middle English (in the sense ‘profuse, ample’): from French, or from Latin frequens, frequent- ‘crowded, frequent’, of unknown ultimate origin

  5. multiple · adjective/ˈməltəp(ə)l/

    having or involving more than one part or person

    There are multiple reasons why the British Empire ended.

    Synonyms: many, numerous, various

    Origin: mid 17th century: from French, from Latin multiplex (see multiplex)