uvanlig

Uvanlig is a Swedish adjective meaning unusual or uncommon. It describes things that are not typical or expected within a given context, such as weather, behavior, or events. The term can apply to objects, occurrences, or situations that stand out from what is normally observed.

Etymology and form: Uvanlig is formed from the stem vanlig, meaning common or ordinary, with the negating prefix o-. The adverbial form is ovanligt. The word inflects like a standard Swedish adjective: en ovanlig händelse, ett ovanligt väder, flera ovanliga händelser. In sentences you can also use ovanligt as an adverb, as in det händer ovanligt ofta.

Usage: The word conveys deviation from the norm and is common in everyday language, journalism, and scientific writing to mark anomalies or exceptions. It is stronger than simply saying something is interesting and often less value-laden than words like märklig or spektakulär. It is related to sällsynt (rare) and avvikande (deviant or atypical), but each carries its own nuance.

Examples: Det var ovanligt varmt i juli. En ovanlig kombination av färger. Det är ovanligt att se så mycket snö. Författaren beskrev händelsen som ovanlig för området.

Synonyms and antonyms: Synonyms include sällsynt, udda, avvikande, atypisk. Antonyms are vanlig, normalt, vardagligt. Uvanlig is a neutral term describing frequency or normalcy without implying value judgment.

See also: Unusual (engelska), sällsynt, avvikande.