What is the meaning of ケタ外れ in this situation..?


I have a sentence which says,

> 2030年、日本が迎えるのはケタ外れの「ひとりさま社会」。

The dictionary says the word means; incredible, extraordinary, exceptional or
phenomenal, but it doesn't really make sense when translated into English.
What does ケタ外れ mean here? What does it imply?




ケタ is 桁 which in this context can be understood as "standard/norm" or
"reference frame" and 外れ means something like it "falls out of the reference
frame" — like when people use 120%.

You can see how in some contexts this could be translated the way you listed
(incredible, extraordinary, exceptional or phenomenal), but here it should
probably be translated in a more neutral tone.




ケタ is 桁 which in this context can be understood as "standard/norm" or
"reference frame" and 外れ means something like it "falls out of the reference
frame" — like when people use 120%.

You can see how in some contexts this could be translated the way you listed
(incredible, extraordinary, exceptional or phenomenal), but here it should
probably be translated in a more neutral tone.

