unicorn
4 synonyms for unicorn, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — A mythical horse-like creature with a single horn growing from its forehead.
Synonyms
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
mythical beast
one-horned horse
billion-dollar startup
How to use unicorn
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
tech unicorn
a true unicorn
unicorn startup
Etymology
From Latin unicornis, literally "one-horned" (unus, "one" + cornu, "horn"). The billion-dollar-startup meaning was coined by venture capitalist Aileen Lee in 2013 to describe how rare such companies were.
Full origin of unicorn →Frequently asked questions
What does “unicorn” mean?
The word “unicorn” means a mythical horse-like creature with a single horn growing from its forehead. In plain terms, either the legendary one-horned horse, or — much more common in everyday talk now — a startup worth over a billion dollars, or anything wonderfully rare.
How do you pronounce “unicorn”?
“Unicorn” is pronounced YOO-nih-kawn (/ˈju.nɪ.kɔɹn/ in IPA).
How do you use “unicorn” in a sentence?
Here is “unicorn” used in a sentence: “The children's book was full of unicorns and rainbows.”
What part of speech is “unicorn”?
“Unicorn” is a noun.
Where does the word “unicorn” come from?
The word “unicorn” dates back to around 2013 and comes from Latin. From Latin unicornis, literally "one-horned" (unus, "one" + cornu, "horn"). The billion-dollar-startup meaning was coined by venture capitalist Aileen Lee in 2013 to describe how rare such companies were.
Is “unicorn” a common word?
“Unicorn” is an uncommon word in modern English.
How many meanings does “unicorn” have?
“Unicorn” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a mythical horse-like creature with a single horn growing from its forehead.
Why is a billion-dollar startup called a unicorn?
A startup is called a unicorn because reaching a private valuation of over one billion dollars used to be so rare it was compared to the mythical creature. The term highlights how uncommon such high valuations were among private companies.
What is the difference between a unicorn and a decacorn?
A unicorn is a privately held startup valued at over one billion dollars, while a decacorn is a rarer subset valued at over ten billion dollars. Decacorn extends the unicorn concept to describe an even higher tier of valuation.
Why do people call something a unicorn when it isn't a startup?
Outside business contexts, unicorn is used informally to describe a person, item, or situation so rare it seems almost impossible to find, such as 'finding a job with that salary and those hours is a unicorn.' This usage plays on the mythical creature's reputation for being fantastical and hard to spot.
