From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishunprecedentedun‧pre‧ce‧dent‧ed /ʌnˈpresɪdentɪd/ ●○○ AWL adjective FIRSTUNUSUALnever having happened before, or never having happened so much He took the unprecedented step of stating that the rumours were false. Crime has increased on an unprecedented scale.unprecedented in an event that is unprecedented in recent history► see thesaurus at unusual —unprecedentedly adverb
Examples from the Corpus
unprecedented• It receives an unprecedented 18 percent increase for this year.• During the 1920's the number of Scots who made the journey across the Atlantic to the United States was unprecedented.• As an earnest of their firm intentions they have been consolidating flights in December, which is unprecedented.• Not everyone celebrates the unprecedented alliance.• The scale of the shock was in any case unprecedented, and most of the world was forced off the gold standard.• How can an unprecedented association of nations which come together voluntarily govern itself effectively, responsibly and responsively?• The Zone covers 300 acres which, for the next twelve years, will offer unprecedented benefits for industrialists and investors.• An unprecedented boom in tourism brought sudden prosperity to the town.• There has been an unprecedented demand for second-hand furniture.• The depression that started in mid-1929 was a catastrophe of unprecedented dimensions for the United States.• An unprecedented number of cars entered the race.• The police took the unprecedented step of publishing the victim's photograph.• unprecedented success• The fact is that 1991 has been an unprecedented year of success for Belfast.• This is unprecedented, you understand, totally unprecedented.on an unprecedented scale• Boldly going where no man has gone before has brought Brittain success on an unprecedented scale.• Planning such experiences will involve library instructional coordination on an unprecedented scale.• Yes, we are predators; we are consumers on an unprecedented scale in history. 