[mikeash]

My dictionary lists two definitions for "unique." One is "being the only one of its kind" and is thus a binary property as you say, but the other is merely "particularly remarkable, special, or unusual," which is perfectly amenable to modifiers like this.

[mkempe]

"unique" comes directly from the Latin "unus", one. The modernist, American wishy-washy uses of the word to mean "unusual" are a sad travesty of thinking. One should simply use the word "unusual" if that's what one means to say.

[danellis]

If you think words gaining new and changing meanings is "a sad travesty", then I think you are a nice person -- and I don't mean in the modern sense of the word.

[wpietri]

The problem isn't gaining meanings; it's losing them. If unique becomes a synonym for unusual, then we no longer have a word that means unique.

I think these battles are worth fighting. As does Weird Al: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGWiTvYZR_w

[danellis]

I don't know why Weird Al thought that was necessary, but this supposed less vs fewer "rule" does not describe actual modern or historical usage. Self-appointed grammarians can choose to stick to whatever usage they like, but going around with stickers and marker pens only makes them look like pedantic bores.

[wpietri]

Huh. So now you're against new meanings?

[danellis]

No. I'm saying it's fine for people to stick to the usage they prefer, which may organically bring about a change, but there's no need to be critical of other people for using what is a commonly understood usage.

[prof_hobart]

"Say" comes from PIE, meaning to utter - in other words, to speak out loud - not to write, or to type. One should simply use the word "type" if that's what one means to say...

[willthames]

What a pathetic [1] argument!

[1] http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=pathetic

[slackson]

Language changes all the time. Everyone knew what was intended to be communicated. I don't really see what the problem is, it's not like there's some platonic ideal of the English language to be violated.

[mkempe]

In practical, non-platonic terms the new meaning (remarkable like a few others) is incompatible with the old (unlike any other).

[mikeash]

From looking at the origins, it seems to me that pretty much the same objection could be leveled at your use of the word "one" as a pronoun instead of a number.

[mkempe]

touché