Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

nonpareil

/ˌnɑnpəˈɹɛl/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.08 in modern English

Syllables
non-par-eil
IPA
/ˌnɑnpəˈɹɛl/
11
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
3
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

Unequalled, unrivalled; unique.

noun

A person or thing that has no equal; a paragon.

Countable

noun

The blue underwing or Clifden nonpareil (Catocala fraxini), a species of moth distributed across the Palearctic; also (obsolete) any of a number of moths of other species.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

In full nonpareil parrot: an eastern rosella, of species Platycercus eximius, a rosella (parrot) native to southeastern Australia.

Australian usage; Archaic; Countable; Uncountable

noun

A painted bunting (Passerina ciris), a brightly-coloured finch native to North America.

American usage; Countable; Uncountable

noun

In full nonpareil apple: an apple tasting both sweet and tart which ripens very late in the season; also, the tree producing this fruit.

Archaic; Countable; Uncountable

noun

Any of various types of small sweets.

American usage; Archaic; Countable; Uncountable

noun

A small pellet of white or coloured sugar used as decoration on baked goods and candy.

American usage; Countable; Dated; Uncountable

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Late Middle English non-parail (“unparalleled, nonpareil”) [and other forms], from Middle French nonpareille, nonpareil (“unparalleled”) (obsolete), from non- (prefix meaning ‘not’) + pareil (“alike, like, same”). Pareil is derived from Old French pareil, from Late Latin pāriculus (“equal; like; of a number: even”), from Latin pār (“equal; like; of a number: even; suitable”) + -culus (a variant of -ulus (suffix forming diminutives)). Noun sense 4 (size of type standardized at 6-point) is usually taken to derive from the attractive type cut by the brothers Giovanni and Gregorio De Gregori (fl. 1482–1503 and 1496–1527 respectively) for their 1498 edition of the divine offices in Venice; it was for a long time the smallest-sized type in use.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˌnɑnpəˈɹɛl/
  • British English: /nɒnpəˈɹeɪ(l)/

Usage

Inflected Forms

more nonpareil (comparative) most nonpareil (superlative) non-pareil (alternative) nonpareils (plural) nonparella (alternative) nonpareillo (alternative)

Frequently Paired Words

umpire

Synonyms

alone azygous incomparable matchless nonpareil only peerless singular sui generis unequaled unique unparalleled

Antonyms

average basic bog-standard common common as bums common as dirt common as muck common as pig tracks dime a dozen everyday frequent general

Rhymes With

they me way may day say all-day away play day by day today pay

Questions

How do you pronounce nonpareil?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˌnɑnpəˈɹɛl/.
What does nonpareil mean?
Unequalled, unrivalled; unique.
Where does nonpareil come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce nonpareil

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “nonpareil”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌnɑnpəˈɹɛl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “nonpareil”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “nonpareil” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.