Extraordinaire

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Grammarist

Extraordinaire means outstanding in a particular field or activity. Extraordinaire is a postpositive adjective, meaning an adjective that follows the noun that is modifies. Such constructions are evidence of the influence that Romance languages, especially French, have had and still have on English. French, Spanish, and Italian all use postpositive adjectives as a rule. Elsewhere, postpositive adjectives are used to provide emphasis or to lend a poetic flourish to a line of text. To pluralize phrases that conventionally use postpositive adjectives, we usually make the noun plural—for example, poets laureate, and attorneys general.

Examples

Renowned South Korean pianist extraordinaire, Yiruma gave an intimate performance, dubbed Best Of Yiruma Live in Malaysia 2015, here at the Plenary Hall in Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC). (The New Straits Times)

Crusoe, the Celebrity Dachshund: Adventures of the Wiener Dog Extraordinaire is a tell-all for the pooch’s adoring fans with advice for everything from baking to life, love and the pursuit of happiness. (Entertainment WEekly)

In fact, she is a local fundraiser extraordinaire, having also helped raise $3.2 million for Immaculate Conception Academy, $16.6 million for Grace Cathedral, and more than $400 million for the UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay. (The Non Profit Quarterly)

In fundraising circles, Motely is often referred to by many CEO’s and presidents as the “auctioneer extraordinaire.” (The Hartford Courant)

This weekend my hairdresser extraordinaire, Sonia, cut half a foot off my long hair. (The Huffington Post)

Music by Kate Steinbeck, artistic director of Pan Harmonia and flutist extraordinaire. (The Asheville Citizen-Times)

The life-sized replica of the two-year-old Prince is the latest creation of amateur baker extraordinaire Lara Mason, from Brownhills. (The Express and Star)

Those three Legco disrupters extraordinaire are wasting public time and money. (The South China Morning Post)