unparalleled

unparalleled — adjective

1. better, greater, or more extreme than anything or anyone else, so that nothing c

1.adjectiveC1
Definition

better, greater, or more extreme than anything or anyone else, so that nothing can be compared to it

Example

Adaeze's performance in the marathon was unparalleled, leaving all other runners far behind.

unparalleled in [domain]: skill, performance, achievement

The museum owns an unparalleled collection of eighteenth-century French furniture.

unparalleled + noun collection

Common collocations
  • unparalleled beauty
  • unparalleled success
  • unparalleled quality
  • unparalleled opportunity
  • unparalleled view
  • unparalleled collection
  • unparalleled achievement
  • virtually unparalleled
  • almost unparalleled
Synonyms
  • matchless

    like 'unparalleled' but slightly more poetic; often used of beauty or skill

  • unmatched

    less formal, common in sports and competitions

  • peerless

    very formal; strongly implies superiority over all others of the same kind

  • incomparable

    suggests something is so good it cannot be fairly compared at all

Antonyms
  • ordinary

    the most direct opposite when talking about quality

  • mediocre

    negative opposite; suggests not just average but disappointingly so

Grammar Patterns

unparalleled + noun

unparalleled + in + noun phrase

Usage Note

Frequently used attributively before a noun for emphasis. The comparison is absolute — do not use 'more unparalleled' or 'very unparalleled.'

Common Mistakes

This book is unparalleled to that one.
This book is unparalleled in quality.
'unparalleled' is followed by 'in' + a domain (skill, beauty, quality), not 'to.'
This is the most unparalleled victory in history.
This is an unparalleled victory in history.
'unparalleled' already expresses the highest degree; adding 'most' is redundant.

Word family

  • parallel
    adjectiveB2
  • parallel
    nounB2
  • parallel
    verbC1
  • unparalleledly
    adverbC2
  • unparallelled
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four words mean 'having no equal,' but they differ in register and typical contexts. 'Unmatched' is the most versatile and least formal — you can have an unmatched record in sports or unmatched customer service. 'Matchless' has a slightly literary feel and appears often in descriptions of beauty or craftsmanship (a matchless work of art). 'Peerless' is formal and suggests superiority over all others of the same type (a peerless scholar of ancient Greek). 'Incomparable' is closer to 'unparalleled' in register and implies something so extraordinary that comparison itself is inappropriate. For example: 'Her voice was peerless among opera singers,' but 'The museum's incomparable collection drew visitors from every continent.'

unmatchedmatchlesspeerlessincomparable

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • in its beauty
  • in terms of quality

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinGreekEnglish

Formed in English from the prefix 'un-' (meaning 'not') and 'paralleled' (from 'parallel' + '-ed'), literally meaning 'not having a parallel' — that is, no equal line running alongside it. First recorded in the early 1600s.