Atypical
adjective
Not normal or usual, different from what is expected.
Her atypical behavior worried her parents
Often appears as...
- atypical symptom
- atypical decision
adjective
Non-representative of a type, group, or class.
Her recent mood swings are atypical. She is always very upbeat.
Often appears as...
- atypical example
- atypical representation
Usage tips
Academic
adjective
Not conforming to the type; irregular; abnormal (used especially in biology, medicine).
Atypical pneumonia does not respond to penicillin.
Often appears as...
- atypical cells
- atypical development
Usage tips
Technical
adjective
Not normal or usual, different from what is expected.
Her atypical behavior worried her parents
Often appears as...
- atypical symptom
- atypical decision
adjective
Non-representative of a type, group, or class.
Her recent mood swings are atypical. She is always very upbeat.
Often appears as...
- atypical example
- atypical representation
Usage tips
Academic
adjective
Not conforming to the type; irregular; abnormal (used especially in biology, medicine).
Atypical pneumonia does not respond to penicillin.
Often appears as...
- atypical cells
- atypical development
Usage tips
Technical
Definition 1 of 3
Pro Tip 1/2Expectation Contrast
Use 'atypical' when something stands out as not being what one would expect.
Choosing to stay in on a Saturday night was atypical for Carlos, the party-goer.
Pro Tip 2/2Subtle Surprise
Conveys a mild surprise without strong judgment; it's different, but not shocking.
The comedian's atypical humor quietly charmed the audience.
Pro Tip 1/2Expectation Contrast
Use 'atypical' when something stands out as not being what one would expect.
Choosing to stay in on a Saturday night was atypical for Carlos, the party-goer.
Pro Tip 2/2Subtle Surprise
Conveys a mild surprise without strong judgment; it's different, but not shocking.
The comedian's atypical humor quietly charmed the audience.
Pro Tip 1/2Expectation Contrast
Use 'atypical' when something stands out as not being what one would expect.
Choosing to stay in on a Saturday night was atypical for Carlos, the party-goer.
Pro Tip 2/2Subtle Surprise
Conveys a mild surprise without strong judgment; it's different, but not shocking.
The comedian's atypical humor quietly charmed the audience.
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Video examples
Why Medicine Often Has...
And for some reason we call this atypical, even though, as I mentioned, women do make up half the population. And so what is some of the evidence to help explain some of these differences? If we look at the anatomy,
Video examples
Why Medicine Often Has...
And for some reason we call this atypical, even though, as I mentioned, women do make up half the population. And so what is some of the evidence to help explain some of these differences? If we look at the anatomy,
Example 1 of 1
Quote examples
Robin DiAngelo
American Educator
I do atypical work for a white person, which is that I lead primarily white audiences in discussions on race every day, in workshops all over the country. That has allowed me to observe very predictable patterns. And one of those patterns is this inability to tolerate any kind of challenge to our racial reality.
Quote examples
Tina Fey
American Comedian
Trying to be a leader in a sort of very atypical workplace like 'Saturday Night Live' forces you to realize that no one wants you to be their leader. If you can help them get their thing on TV or whatever, they want that. But no adult is looking for a role model.
Quote examples
Zoe Buckman
Australian Athlete
I'm atypical in my personal life, my situation is not that of the average struggling artist, and so I feel like I have to work even harder to prove myself and let the work speak for itself. At the same time, I'm not prepared to hide who I truly am.
Quote examples
Jeff Bezos
American Businessman
In this industry, there's a lot of cases of being a competitor in one way, but you're often a customer and a vendor in another way. It's not atypical in aerospace. Actually, it's not that atypical in a lot of industries.
Quote examples
Gillian Tans
American Businesswoman
I've always been curious and taken many risks, but that is quite atypical for a woman. On the other hand, I think that's the only way to grow beyond yourself.
Quote examples
Judith Faulkner
American Businesswoman
I was an undergrad math major and a grad student in computer science. I'm hugely introverted, not atypical of math majors.
Quote examples
Simon Baron-Cohen
British Psychologist
The E-S theory does not stereotype. Rather, it seeks to explain why individuals are typical or atypical for their sex.
Quote examples
Kyriakos Mitsotakis
Greek Politician
Although I come from a political family, I consider myself a slightly atypical politician.
Quote examples
Tyra Banks
American Model
I'm always looking at how I can be atypical.
Quote examples
Jason Bateman
American Actor
My upbringing as a child was very atypical.
Quote examples
Robin DiAngelo
American Educator
I do atypical work for a white person, which is that I lead primarily white audiences in discussions on race every day, in workshops all over the country. That has allowed me to observe very predictable patterns. And one of those patterns is this inability to tolerate any kind of challenge to our racial reality.
Quote examples
Tina Fey
American Comedian
Trying to be a leader in a sort of very atypical workplace like 'Saturday Night Live' forces you to realize that no one wants you to be their leader. If you can help them get their thing on TV or whatever, they want that. But no adult is looking for a role model.
Quote examples
Zoe Buckman
Australian Athlete
I'm atypical in my personal life, my situation is not that of the average struggling artist, and so I feel like I have to work even harder to prove myself and let the work speak for itself. At the same time, I'm not prepared to hide who I truly am.
Quote examples
Jeff Bezos
American Businessman
In this industry, there's a lot of cases of being a competitor in one way, but you're often a customer and a vendor in another way. It's not atypical in aerospace. Actually, it's not that atypical in a lot of industries.
Quote examples
Gillian Tans
American Businesswoman
I've always been curious and taken many risks, but that is quite atypical for a woman. On the other hand, I think that's the only way to grow beyond yourself.
Quote examples
Judith Faulkner
American Businesswoman
I was an undergrad math major and a grad student in computer science. I'm hugely introverted, not atypical of math majors.
Quote examples
Simon Baron-Cohen
British Psychologist
The E-S theory does not stereotype. Rather, it seeks to explain why individuals are typical or atypical for their sex.
Quote examples
Kyriakos Mitsotakis
Greek Politician
Although I come from a political family, I consider myself a slightly atypical politician.
Quote examples
Tyra Banks
American Model
I'm always looking at how I can be atypical.
Quote examples
Jason Bateman
American Actor
My upbringing as a child was very atypical.
Example 1 of 10
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