extraordinaire
/ɛk.stʁa.ɔʁ.di.nɛʁ/
The English word 'extraordinary' is translated into French as extraordinaire.
extraordinaire is an adjective used to describe something that is not ordinary. You can also use the expression hors du commun to mean 'out of the ordinary', or the phrase sortir de l'ordinaire to mean 'to stand out'.
Meaning: not ordinary (adj)
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective extraordinaire is invariable in gender, so it remains the same whether it describes a masculine or feminine noun. To make the word plural, add an 's' to the end to form extraordinaires.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɛk.stʁa.ɔʁ.di.nɛʁ/
Did you know?
- In the 19th century, the term service extraordinaire referred to secret intelligence or special missions that operated outside the normal military hierarchy.
- While 'extraordinary' in English is almost always positive, describing a person as extraordinaire in French can sometimes imply they are 'unusual' in a way that borders on being strange or eccentric.
- In French law and administration, extraordinaire can refer to a specific type of official meeting, such as an assemblée générale extraordinaire, which is called to handle urgent matters outside the regular schedule.
Examples in context
- Rends ta vie extraordinaire.Make your life extraordinary.This sentence uses extraordinaire.Tatoeba #9159626 by Julien_PDC, translation #9159553 by Amastan
- Quelle femme extraordinaire !What an extraordinary woman.Tatoeba #5738688 by Yemana, translation #5736143 by CM
- Le mont Fuji est extraordinaire.Mount Fuji is extraordinary.Tatoeba #15679 by Micsmithel, translation #2159106 by Cookiejardino
- 23 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Léa are looking at a beautiful view from a balcony.
- HugoRegarde cette vue, elle est extraordinaire !Look at this view, it is extraordinary!
- LéaOui, Hugo, c'est absolument magnifique.Yes, Hugo, it is absolutely magnificent.
- HugoJe n'ai jamais rien vu d'aussi extraordinaire.I have never seen anything so extraordinary.
- LéaC'est un moment mémorable pour nous deux.It is a memorable moment for both of us.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “extraordinary” translations and entries extraordinaire, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
