nonpareil C2+ Topic:People & Society US /ˌnɑnpəˈrɛl/ UK /ˌnɒnpəˈreɪl/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 adj having no equal; a person or thing without rival As a violinist she was a nonpareil, unmatched by any of her contemporaries. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 adj · having no equal; a person... peerlessunrivaledunequaledmatchlessincomparableparagon ↔ Opposites ordinarymediocrecommonplace Word family Related forms pairpar Etymology AI details From French nonpareil ('without equal'), from non ('not') + pareil ('equal, like'), from Vulgar Latin *pariculus, diminutive of Latin par ('equal'). nonpareil Middle French par Latin View etymology graph -> Topics People & Society External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # nonpareil **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˌnɑnpəˈrɛl/ **IPA (UK):** /ˌnɒnpəˈreɪl/ ## Meanings 1. having no equal; a person or thing without rival ## Examples - As a violinist she was a nonpareil, unmatched by any of her contemporaries. ## Synonyms - peerless - unrivaled - unequaled - matchless - incomparable - paragon ## Antonyms - ordinary - mediocre - commonplace ## Related Forms - pair - par ## Roots and Affixes - Root: nonpareil - Root: par ## Etymology From French nonpareil ('without equal'), from non ('not') + pareil ('equal, like'), from Vulgar Latin *pariculus, diminutive of Latin par ('equal'). ## AI Etymology Nonpareil comes from French nonpareil ('without equal'), from non ('not') + pareil ('equal, like'), from Vulgar Latin *pariculus, diminutive of Latin par ('equal'). The form is best read as a historical transfer or inheritance, with its older language material carrying the main semantic load. As an adjective and noun, it carries the sense "having no equal; a person or thing without rival", with the older formation still helping explain the modern use. Relevant historical forms include Middle French nonpareil and Latin par. Related words include pair, par. ## Topics - People & Society markdown