Less is More When it Comes to “Unique”

The word unique is related to a whole class of words derived from the Latin word for one, (unus) for example: uniform, unilateral, and unicorn.

Soldiers tend to look alike when they are in uniform.
Among allied states, a unilateral action is one taken by one member or “side” only. (Latin latus = side)
A unicorn has one horn. (Latin cornus = horn of an animal)

The word unique has the meaning “one of a kind.” It is a useful word and the widespread misuse of it tends to dissipate its usefulness.

Listen to any talk show and you will hear people say that something or other is “very unique,” or “rather unique,” or “somewhat unique.”

Such usage corresponds to saying that a woman is “somewhat pregnant.”

With unique (as with pregnancy) there is no middle ground.

If something is unique, that’s it. To precede the word with an intensifier like “very” or a comparative like “less” or “more,” defeats the purpose.

That is not to say that one mustn’t ever use a word to modify unique.

One CAN say that a thing is:

nearly unique
really unique
perhaps unique
in some respects unique

but never ever “very unique.”

TIP: Preserve the unique usefulness of the word unique by thinking twice before putting a modifier in front of it.

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Maeve on July 29, 2007 | Filed Under Misused Words

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12 Responses to “Less is More When it Comes to “Unique””

Daniel on July 29th, 2007 12:45 pm

Spot on, I hear “rather unique” quite often.
Shankar Ganesh on July 29th, 2007 12:55 pm

Hey guys!
Here’s a request from me:
Please add a ‘print’ feature over here.. so that I can have an offline copy of my favourite articles.
Ray on July 29th, 2007 1:04 pm

Whilst I agree with your main point, some of your exceptions make no sense. ‘Quite unique’ and ‘absolutely unique’ for instance are as redundant as ‘very unique’. THe thing is either unique or it isn’t.
Daniel on July 29th, 2007 1:51 pm

Ray, good point and I agree. I removed some of the exceptions, but I will get in touch with Maeve to know what she meant in the first place.
Maeve on July 29th, 2007 1:59 pm

In my heart of hearts, I tend to agree with Ray. I have to admit to bowing to one of my authorities here (H.W. Fowler Modern English Usage):
“the adverbs that unique can tolerate are e.g. quite, almost, nearly, really, surely, perhaps, absolutely, or in some respects.”

I often disagree with Fowler, especially in some of his misogynistic pronouncements, and I probably should have on “quite” and “absolutely.”
LearningNerd on July 29th, 2007 4:01 pm

I’d like to point out that there’s a huge difference between telling someone “You’re unique” and “You’re very unique.” The first is more like something parents would tell their kid. The second is something a kid would tell another kid, using a sarcastic tone to mean “You’re strange”.

Or at least that’s my experience. I know you can also say “You’re unique” in a sarcastic tone to mean the same thing, but I never hear people say that. It’s always “very unique”.

Maybe it’s a regional thing? I’d love to know if anyone else is familiar with that usage.
Zach Everson on July 29th, 2007 5:08 pm

Your advise can apply to almost any word. Modifiers such as really, rather, and very add no meaning shouldn’t be used.

Also, many writers use “unique” when they mean “unusual.”
Daniel on July 29th, 2007 5:15 pm

Zach, yeah I also feel that sometimes the writer is trying to say “unusual.”

Also, you probably meant “your advice,” right?

Sorry for being pedantic, but it’s the proper blog to do so .
Maeve on July 29th, 2007 5:57 pm

LearningNerd,
The use of “very unique” that you describe may be common, but it’s not what I’d call a regionalism.

It is perhaps the deliberate use of an incorrect phrase for the sake of irony, like “déja-vu all over again.” Such usage probably belongs to the realm of slang.
Lefa Singleton Norton on October 1st, 2007 11:41 am

This is my pet peeve. We are becoming so accustomed to having an incorrect phrase shoved at us by lazy media and/or conversations that we start to accept the incorrect version. Those of us who attempt to correct people are, of course, pedants.
nova on April 15th, 2008 1:25 pm

God ! have I been mistaken all that time ?!

I say:”That’s so unique” all that time.

It’s really great to learn stuff like that!

Thank you