ordinary

ordinary — adjective

1. like most others of the same kind, with nothing that makes it stand out

1.形容詞B1
釋義

like most others of the same kind, with nothing that makes it stand out

例句

It was just an ordinary Monday, with rain and late buses.

ordinary before a day noun

Mina wore ordinary jeans and a gray T-shirt to the meeting.

ordinary before clothes nouns

同義詞
  • normal

    often stresses that something is not strange or wrong

  • usual

    more often points to what someone regularly does or chooses

  • common

    emphasizes that many people or things share it

  • plain

    can suggest a simple look, sometimes with a slightly negative tone

反義詞
  • special

    suggests something marked out from others

  • unusual

    emphasizes that something is different from what is expected

  • remarkable

    suggests something worth noticing or remembering

文法句型

ordinary people

ordinary clothes

look ordinary

用法筆記

Often modifies everyday people or things such as clothes, homes, jobs, or meals. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense describes a person or thing as plain, not a situation as what normally happens.

常見錯誤

❌I took the ordinary bus to work.
✅I took the usual bus to work.
💡ordinary means not special; usual means the one you normally use.

2. used to say that something is the normal result or pattern in a situation

2.形容詞B2
釋義

used to say that something is the normal result or pattern in a situation

例句

At this age, a little fear of the dark is ordinary.

predicative use after be

Five minutes of waiting is ordinary at this busy station.

同義詞
  • normal

    the closest everyday choice for what is expected

  • typical

    often points to a pattern that represents a group or situation well

  • expected

    focuses on what people think will probably happen

反義詞
  • abnormal

    suggests something not matching the expected pattern

  • unexpected

    focuses on surprise rather than on being wrong or unhealthy

文法句型

be ordinary for children

be ordinary in winter

That is ordinary here

用法筆記

Mostly predicative, especially after be. Distinguish from sense 1: here ordinary comments on what typically happens in certain conditions, not on whether a thing looks plain or uninteresting.

常見錯誤

❌An ordinary for babies is to wake at night.
✅It is ordinary for babies to wake at night.
💡this sense is usually used after 'be', not as a noun phrase.

3. noticeably different from what people normally expect

3.形容詞C2
釋義

noticeably different from what people normally expect

例句

A police car outside the school was out of the ordinary.

fixed phrase: out of the ordinary

Nothing in the report seemed out of the ordinary at first.

nothing out of the ordinary

同義詞
  • unusual

    the nearest single-word choice in neutral English

  • strange

    can sound stronger and more personal

  • exceptional

    often suggests something notably good or rare, not just different

反義詞
  • ordinary

    plainly within normal expectation

  • routine

    stresses regular repetition and lack of surprise

文法句型

be out of the ordinary

seem out of the ordinary

nothing out of the ordinary

用法筆記

Only used in the phrase 'out of the ordinary'. It often follows verbs such as be, seem, look, or feel, and it suggests something unusual enough to make people pay attention.

常見錯誤

❌The noise was out of ordinary.
✅The noise was out of the ordinary.
💡the phrase needs 'the'.

ordinary — noun