Atypical
/eɪˈtɪpɪkəl/
adjectiveIntermediateCommonGeneral
Meaning
Question
Definitions
1
Not conforming to the usual type; unusual or abnormal.
/eɪˈtɪpɪkəl/
adjectiveneutralIntermediate
General
Not typical; unusual; abnormal.
His behavior was atypical for someone his age.
💡 Simply: Unusual or not normal.
More Examples
2
The weather this summer is atypical; it's much colder than usual.
How It's Used
Medical
"The patient exhibited atypical symptoms of the flu."
Scientific
"The experiment yielded atypical results."
From the prefix "a-" (not) + "typical" (conforming to a type). Emerged in the late 19th century.
The word gained prominence in scientific and medical fields in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Memory tip
Think 'a' meaning 'not' and 'typical' meaning 'usual'.
Practice
Base: typical
atypicleatypicaly
Usage
20%Spoken
80%Written