Origin: French suffix -ique
Unique has 6 different meanings across 1 category:
A thing without a like; something unequalled or unparallelled; one of a kind.
"The artist's signature technique creates a unique blend of colors that has never been seen before in any gallery."
In plain English: A unique noun is a specific name used to refer to only one person or thing of its kind.
"The unique was his favorite way to describe something special about himself."
radically distinctive and without equal
"he is alone in the field of microbiology"
"this theory is altogether alone in its penetration of the problem"
"Bach was unique in his handling of counterpoint"
"craftsmen whose skill is unequaled"
"unparalleled athletic ability"
"a breakdown of law unparalleled in our history"
(followed by `to') applying exclusively to a given category or condition or locality
"a species unique to Australia"
highly unusual or rare but not the single instance
"spoke with a unique accent"
"had unique ability in raising funds"
"a frankness unique in literature"
"a unique dining experience"
Being the only one of its kind; unequaled, unparalleled or unmatched.
"The ancient manuscript is unique because no other copy exists in any library around the world."
In plain English: Unique means being the only one of its kind and having no exact copy anywhere else.
"Every snowflake is unique because no two fall in exactly the same pattern."
Usage: Use unique as an absolute term to describe something that is singular and has no equal, rather than using it with comparatives like more or most. Avoid phrasing such as "very unique" since nothing can be more one-of-a-kind than the only item of its kind.
The word unique was borrowed directly from French and originally meant single or one-of-a-kind. It entered English as a piecewise doublet related to the word any, though its meaning has since narrowed to describe something that is unlike anything else.