buitengewone

Buitengewone is a Dutch adjective meaning extraordinary, exceptional, or remarkable. It is used to describe people, events, or things that stand out from what is typical. In English, it corresponds roughly to extraordinary or exceptional.

Etymology and spelling: The word is formed from buiten (outside) and gewoon (ordinary), literally meaning beyond ordinary. It is written as one word in modern Dutch. When used before a noun, the attributive form is often buitengewone, as in een buitengewone prestatie or de buitengewone omstandigheden. It can also function as an adverb or as a predicative adjective: Dat is buitengewoon goed.

Usage and nuance: Buitengewone is common in both formal writing and everyday speech to emphasize significance or rarity. It covers achievements, talents, events, or qualities that exceed normal expectations. It is stronger than simply goed or bijzonder, and its exact nuance depends on context; in some cases it can be close to uitzonderlijk, while in others it suggests a high level of impressiveness without implying uniqueness.

Translations: Common English equivalents are extraordinary, exceptional, or remarkable. In Dutch, the term is versatile across contexts such as news reporting, literary description, and evaluative language, where the speaker or writer wants to highlight how far something diverges from the ordinary. See also: uitzonderlijk, uniek.