Meaning & use
uncommon
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Not seen or found often; happening rarely.
Grammar: Can go before a noun or after a verb: an uncommon bird; it is uncommon.
Patterns
- not uncommon for someone to do something
- uncommon in something
Snow is uncommon in this part of the country.
It is not uncommon for flights to be delayed in winter.
Her name is uncommon, so people often ask about it.
adjectivebefore a nounformalliterary
Unusually great or remarkable in degree or quality.
Grammar: Formal or literary, often with a quality: uncommon courage.
Patterns
- uncommon courage
- uncommon skill
She showed uncommon courage during the rescue.
He plays the violin with uncommon skill for his age.
The doctor treated everyone with uncommon kindness.
Word forms
| comparative | more uncommon |
|---|---|
| superlative | most uncommon |
Common combinations
- not uncommon
- It's not uncommon for children to be shy at first.
- relatively uncommon
- The condition is relatively uncommon in adults.
- uncommon in
- Such storms are uncommon in spring.
- an uncommon sight
- A fox in the city is an uncommon sight.
- quite uncommon
- A vintage car like this is quite uncommon.
Synonyms and how they differ
- rare
- Rare is stronger, meaning very few exist, while uncommon only means you do not often meet it.
- unusual
- Unusual suggests something is different from the normal, but uncommon says it does not occur frequently.
- infrequent
- Infrequent describes events that happen at long intervals and is not used for objects or people.
- scarce
- Scarce is used for supplies that are hard to find, such as scarce water, but uncommon describes anything that is seldom seen.
Opposites
Word family
- common adjective
- Happening often or found in many places.
- commonly adverb
- Usually or frequently.
- uncommonly adverb
- To an unusual degree: uncommonly cold.
- uncommonness noun
- The state of being rare.
Practice
Which sentence uses uncommon correctly to mean fairly frequent?
Choose one answer.
Not uncommon means it happens fairly often. The first option contradicts itself, and the last two use uncommon as an adverb instead of uncommonly.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “uncommon”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.