as in only
being the one or ones of a class with no other members
among history's greats Leonardo da Vinci is often considered sui generis—a man of such stupendous genius that the world may never see his like again
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sui generis
That decades-old advertising slogan succinctly captures the brand promise of the sui generis American business that marks its 80th anniversary this year.
—
Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 6 Mar. 2025
The Luftwaffe had already obliterated Warsaw and Rotterdam, but Paris was sui generis.
—Sam Roberts, Foreign Affairs, 2 June 2015
This uncomfortable family scenario could have played out any number of ways, from broad comedy to volatile drama, but Hong puts his own sui generis stamp on it.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
The alchemical match between director and DP remains one of the defining collaborations of Lynch’s career, with Elmes crystallizing Lynch’s nightmarish and entirely sui generis vision of the American underbelly in all those films.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 18 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sui generis
Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 6 Mar. 2025
The Luftwaffe had already obliterated Warsaw and Rotterdam, but Paris was sui generis.
—Sam Roberts, Foreign Affairs, 2 June 2015
This uncomfortable family scenario could have played out any number of ways, from broad comedy to volatile drama, but Hong puts his own sui generis stamp on it.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
The alchemical match between director and DP remains one of the defining collaborations of Lynch’s career, with Elmes crystallizing Lynch’s nightmarish and entirely sui generis vision of the American underbelly in all those films.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 18 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sui generis
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sui generis
Adjective
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The only Cuban natives with more homers were Rafael Palmiero (569) and Jose Canseco (480).—
Chuck Murr,
Forbes.com,
7 July 2025
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Merrell Women's Moab 3 Mid Hiking Shoes Merrell Men's Moab 3 Hiking Shoes Unsurprisingly, my brother and I aren’t the only fans of these hiking shoes.—
Rebecca Shinners,
Travel + Leisure,
7 July 2025
Adjective
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Drinkwater didn't make one appearance in a Chelsea shirt last season, whilst Bakayoko spent the season in Italy on loan at AC Milan.—
SI.com,
SI.com,
3 Aug. 2019
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Decisions made by engineers today, in other words, will determine not how one car drives but how all cars drive.—
Johannes Himmelreich,
BostonGlobe.com,
30 Mar. 2018
Adjective
-
Veteran closer Aroldis Chapman is expected to be the lone Red Sox player to take part in Tuesday’s game, which will be played at Truist Park in Atlanta starting at 8 p.m.—
Mac Cerullo,
Boston Herald,
13 July 2025
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While Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, and Mark Wahlberg — the lone cast member to be Oscar-nominated here — get the showier roles, Leo gives a more internal performance as Billy Costigan Jr., a rookie cop who was broken long before going undercover.—
Derek Lawrence,
EW.com,
13 July 2025
Adjective
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And pay special attention to those easy-to-wear Madewell barrel jeans, which are truly beloved among Glamour editors.—
Jake Henry Smith,
Glamour,
8 July 2025
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Seventh seed Andreeva had special guests in the audience – none other than tennis legend and eight-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer and his wife, Mirka.—
Manasi Pathak,
Forbes.com,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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But this cultural expectation is not unique to India.—
Sreedhar Potarazu,
Baltimore Sun,
6 July 2025
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While all the locations will have signature LPM dishes, each of the new openings will be unique.—
Rachel Dube,
Forbes.com,
6 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sui generis.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sui%20generis. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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