epätavallista

Epätavallista is a Finnish adjective meaning unusual, uncommon, or out of the ordinary. It can describe events, behavior, phenomena, or objects that deviate from what is typical in a given context. The base form is epätavallinen; the form epätavallista is the partitive singular, used when the unusual thing is indefinite or part of a larger expression. The noun form epätavallisuus refers to the quality of being unusual.

Etymology and grammar: The word is formed with the negating prefix epä- attached to tavallinen (ordinary). This construction signals deviation from the norm rather than a value judgment. Epätavallinen can modify nouns directly (epätavallinen ilmiö – an unusual phenomenon) or appear in predicative position (tupalainen, se on epätavallinen). The adverbial form is epätavallisesti, used to describe how something is done unusually.

Usage and nuance: Epätavallista tends to express that something is not typical in a given situation, without necessarily carrying a strongly positive or negative assessment. It is common in media, academic writing, and everyday speech to highlight noteworthy or surprising aspects. Typical collocations include epätavallinen ilmiö, epätavallinen tapa, and epätavallista ruokaa.

Related terms: Poikkeuksellinen and erikoinen are close in meaning but convey different nuances; poikkeuksellinen often stresses rarity or exceptional quality, while erikoinen emphasizes peculiarity. Kummallinen can imply oddness or stranger-than-usual characteristics, sometimes with a humorous or eerie nuance.

See also: Finnish vocabulary on adjectives describing normality and deviation, grammar resources on epäsuora negatiivisuus with epä- prefix, and usage notes for adjectives in attributive and predicative positions.