These words are used to describe someone or something that differs from the ordinary or the usual. That which is unparalleled is different in that it has no parallel or equal: it is unmatched. It suggests not so much a uniqueness of kind as an overwhelming superiority or quantity: his unparalleled achievements in the field of astrophysics. That which is special has some distinguishing or individualizing characteristic: These machines are all identical in their surface design but each one is special in its interior construction. Something special might be designed for or concerned with a specific purpose: the hospital has over fifty special diets for different kinds of illnesses. Special can mean peculiar or even unique: each problem that crosses my desk is special . It is often used to refer to the exceptional in amount or degree: a special fondness for French cooking. Special is the most comprehensive term in this group; anything described by one of the other words could certainly be called special as well. Extraordinary means greatly beyond the ordinary or usual it is a neutral word that can function in either a complimentary or a critical description: extraordinary kindness; extraordinary wickedness. Like special , it can be used also to refer to someone or something that is employed for a specific purpose: an envoy extraordinary ; a mission extraordinary . Singular has a wide range of meaning. In the most precise usage, it implies that whatever is being described is the only one of its type: a phenomenon singular in the history of this experiment. In an extension of this sense which is less limited in application, singular refers to the uncommon, the rare or the extraordinary : a woman of singular grace and charm. Finally, singular has to do with the kind of difference from the excuse her singular behaviour at the funeral.