uncharacteristically
- adverb
- /ˌʌnˌkɛrɪktəˈrɪstɪkli/
- The result was that my grades on these flash quizzes were uncharacteristically poor, mystifying my teacher.
Maybe Jerome was being uncharacteristically sloppy.
- Maybe Jerome was being uncharacteristically sloppy.
- But I'll, I'll take the the the hit and say, yeah, it was all me, you know, so uncharacteristically imprudent on my part.
- I mean, you can tell Siri to turn it way down or way up, but it's still an uncharacteristically janky solution.
- Meaning it's hard to distill that down, but I'll pause for a second in an effort to keep it uncharacteristically brief.
- This is a uncharacteristically steep hill and our brakes are very wet and slippery right now, so we're walking it.
Examples
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She was uncharacteristically cheerful during the meeting, making everyone smile.
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Richard, who was with me got uncharacteristically quiet
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And I was actually really nervous, really uncharacteristically nervous.
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But when he came in, he just seemed so right to me that, uncharacteristically, I stopped looking.
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And then she claims that she, oh, her friends say she was uncharacteristically quiet afterward.
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Your tongue seems uncharacteristically still.
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I just read your blog, and it was strange and uncharacteristically thoughtful.
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You're suddenly uncharacteristically quiet, lieutenant.
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To Peter's surprise, the class was uncharacteristically enthusiastic about hearing each other's guilty secrets.
Fiction book (1996) -
At brunch, they were uncharacteristically quiet, especially since they'd just been to Mass.
Fiction book (2001)
Synonyms
In an unusual or unexpected way
More than normal or expected
Not how a person usually behaves
In a way that is not normal or usual
In a way that seems strange or not natural
To a much higher level than usual
In a strange way that people notice
In a way that is not normal or expected
In a way that is not usual
In an unusual way that is not normal
In a way that is not usual
In an unusual way not like what usually happens
In a way that is not usual for someone
In a way that is not usual or expected
In a way that is not usual
Antonyms
How Characteristic
Surface Forms
Morphology
uncharacteristically = characteristically (transparent) = un + characteristic + ally
The adverb is formed by adding 'un-' to the familiar adverb 'characteristically' and the negation straightforwardly yields 'not in a characteristic manner'.
Etymology
Uncharacteristically breaks into parts: un- meaning 'not', characteristic from character meaning 'personality' or 'usual qualities', and -ally which turns it into a word that shows how something is done. So, uncharacteristically means doing something 'not' like your normal self, or not in the usual way for that person or thing.