nonpareil

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nonpareil

/nɒnpəˈɹeɪ(l)/ UK
/nɒm-/ UK
/ˈnɒnpəɹ(ə)l/ UK
/ˈnɒnpɹ(ə)l/ UK
/ˈnɒm-/ UK
/ˌnɑnpəˈɹɛl/ US

Rhymes with -eɪ, -eɪl, -ɛl

Where it comes from

From Late Middle English non-parail (“unparalleled, nonpareil”) [and other forms], from Middle French nonpareille, nonpareil (“unparalleled”) (obsolete), from non- (prefix meaning ‘not’) + pareil (“alike, like, same”). Pareil is derived from Old French pareil, from Late Latin pāriculus (“equal; like; of a number: even”), from Latin pār (“equal; like; of a number: even; suitable”) + -culus (a variant of -ulus (suffix forming diminutives)).

Noun sense 4 (size of type standardized at 6-point) is usually taken to derive from the attractive type cut by the brothers Giovanni and Gregorio De Gregori (fl. 1482–1503 and 1496–1527 respectively) for their 1498 edition of the divine offices in Venice; it was for a long time the smallest-sized type in use.

adjective more nonpareil · most nonpareil · non-pareil

Unequalled, unrivalled; unique. He informed the clerk that he would remain three or four days, inquired concerning the sailing of European steamships, and sank into the blissful inanition of the nonpareil hotel with the contented air of a traveller in his favorite inn.
Similar: alone, azygous, incomparable, matchless, nonpareil, only, exclusive, peerless, singular, sui generis, unequaled, unique · Opposite: average, basic, bog-standard, common, common as bums, common as dirt, common as muck, common as pig tracks, dime a dozen, everyday, frequent, general

noun nonpareils · non-pareil · nonparella · nonpareillo

countable A person or thing that has no equal; a paragon. My lord and master loves you. O, such love / Could be but recompens'd though you were crown'd / The nonpareil of beauty!
countable, uncountable The blue underwing or Clifden nonpareil (Catocala fraxini), a species of moth distributed across the Palearctic; also (obsolete) any of a number of moths of other species.
Australia, archaic, countable, uncountable In full nonpareil parrot: an eastern rosella, of species Platycercus eximius, a rosella (parrot) native to southeastern Australia.
US, countable, uncountable A painted bunting (Passerina ciris), a brightly-coloured finch native to North America.
archaic, countable, uncountable In full nonpareil apple: an apple tasting both sweet and tart which ripens very late in the season; also, the tree producing this fruit.
US, archaic, countable, uncountable Any of various types of small sweets.
US, broadly, countable, dated, uncountable A small pellet of white or coloured sugar used as decoration on baked goods and candy.
Similar: hundreds and thousands, sprinkles
US, broadly, countable, uncountable A small, flat chocolate drop covered with such pellets of sugar, similar to a comfit.
US, broadly, countable, uncountable A caper (“pickled edible flower bud”) of the smallest size.
historical, uncountable A size of type between ruby and emerald (or, in the United States, between agate and minion), standardized as 6-point; (countable) a slug of this size. I believe that letters which are less than a millimetre and a half (1/17 inch) high, will finally prove injurious to the eye. How little attention has hitherto been paid to this important subject is exemplified in the fact that even oculistic journals and books frequently contain nonpareil, or lette
Similar: nonpareille

Translations

Every language

adj unequalled, unrivalled — see also unequalled, unique, unrivalled

Español	incomparable, sin par, sin paralelo
한국어	비할 데가 없는 bihal dega eomneun
中文	無儔 /无俦
Português	incomparável, sem igual, sem par
Français	nonpareil, hors de pair, sans égal, sans pareil
Deutsch	unerreicht
Italiano	impareggiabile, ineguagliabile
Română	exemplu (neegalabil), model de perfecțiune
Русский	бесподо́бный bespodóbnyj, несравне́нный nesravnénnyj

noun size of type standardized at 6-point; slug of this size

Español	nompareille
Français	nonpareille
Deutsch	Nonpareille
Italiano	nompariglia
Русский	нонпарель nonparelʹ

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MLA

"nonpareil." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/nonpareil. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

nonpareil. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/nonpareil

Chicago

"nonpareil." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/nonpareil.

BibTeX

@misc{nonpareil_2026,
  title = {nonpareil},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/nonpareil},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}