extraordinaire

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French extraordinaire. Doublet of extraordinary.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪkˌstɹɔː(ɹ).dɪˈnɛː(ɹ)/

Adjective

extraordinaire (not comparable)

1. (postpositive) Extraordinary, remarkable, outstanding.
2. (postpositive) (of a person) Particularly skilled; unusually active; particularly successful.

   He was a dancer extraordinaire.

   Charlie Parker, saxophonist extraordinaire, released many records.

   • 2023 July 5, Murtada Elfadl, “Mission: Impossible—Dead Reckoning Part One review: Tom Cruise runs, jumps, and delivers again”, in AV Club‎:

     there will be Tom Cruise, as spy extraordinaire Ethan Hunt, running as fast as he can, jumping off cliffs and ultimately saving the day after surviving many close calls.

Usage notes

• When used after a plural noun, the adjective is occasionally pluralized as extraordinaires like in French, so that (for example) both dancers extraordinaire and dancers extraordinaires can be found.

Noun

extraordinaire (uncountable)

1. Something particularly remarkable or outstanding.
   • 2012, Lonely Planet, Nicola Williams, Kerry Christiani, Lonely Planet Switzerland‎:

     "The very best of Swiss dining in this essentially rural country is as much about experience as culinary extraordinaire."

French

Alternative forms

• extraördinaire (obsolete)

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin extraordinārius.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛk.stʁa.ɔʁ.di.nɛʁ/, /ɛk.stʁɔʁ.di.nɛʁ/

• Audio:

  (file)

Adjective

extraordinaire (plural extraordinaires)

1. extraordinary, out of the ordinary

   Antonym: ordinaire

Derived terms

• extraordinairement

Further reading

• “extraordinaire”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.