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in a league of her own

in a league of her own

1 7.2
Much better than other people at something
  • idiom
translation icon : en una liga propia
  • After winning multiple awards for her films, it's clear that she is in a league of her own compared to other actresses.

Examples

  • She's in a league of her own.

  • Her performance on the piano was so impressive that she is truly in a league of her own.

  • In the world of tennis, Serena Williams is in a league of her own, dominating every tournament.

Synonyms

unparalleled
vsin a league of her own
38 6.7

Better than anything else in quality or size

appears as a phrase commonly used to praise individuals exceptionally
incomparable
vsin a league of her own
20 6.0

So good or special that nothing else matches it

highlights exceptional superiority rather than being not able to be compared
unmatched
vsin a league of her own
13 4.5

Being better or more impressive than anything else

uses idiomatic praise to highlight unique excellence in people
unrivaled
vsin a league of her own
  • US
9 5.3

Better than any other person or thing

expresses the same idea but in casual idiomatic wording
peerless
vsin a league of her own
5 7.2

So good that it has no match

is a figurative phrase emphasizing personal or achievement uniqueness
in a league of one's own
vsin a league of her own
2 6.8

Much better than others in skill or quality

is the same expression but replaces neutral pronoun with female pronoun
matchless
vsin a league of her own
2 6.0

So good that nothing else is as good

is an idiomatic phrase rather than a single descriptive adjective
unmatchable
vsin a league of her own
1 6.2

A person or thing that is better than all others

uses idiomatic expression rather than a compact single-word compliment

Antonyms

683 1.0

Normal and not special or unusual

109 4.8

Only average in quality and not very good

How Exceptional

in a league of her own
1 7.2
outstanding
257 3.4
excellent
1.0
good
1.0

Surface Forms

Morphology

in + a + league + of + her + own

The phrase combines 'league' (a level or group) with 'of her own' (belonging to a separate category), so a learner who knows the words can often infer a sense of being in a different or higher category. However, the evaluative meaning 'exceptionally good/unique' is a conventionalized metaphorical extension and not fully predictable from the parts without prior exposure, so it is only partially transparent.

Etymology

In a league of her own comes from sports: a league is a group of teams that play each other, and being in a different league means you are much better than everyone else. So saying someone is in a league of her own means she is 'exceptionally good' and has no equal.