nondescript

adjective

non·​de·​script ˌnän-di-ˈskript 

1

: belonging or appearing to belong to no particular class or kind : not easily described

… a nondescript mixture of styles in the worst possible taste.

—George Bernard Shaw

2

: lacking distinctive or interesting qualities : dull, drab

Their performance was disappointingly nondescript.

nondescript noun

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How Nondescript Was Formed

It is relatively easy to describe the origins of nondescript (and there's a hint in the first part of this sentence). Nondescript was formed by combining the prefix non- (meaning "not") with descriptus,the past participle of the Latin verb describere, meaning "to describe." It is no surprise, then, that when the word was adopted in the late 17th century by English speakers, it was typically applied to something (such as a genus or species) that had not yet been described. Other descriptive descendants of describere in English include describe, description, and descriptive itself, as well as the rare philosophical term descriptum ("something that is described").

Synonyms

• boring
• neutral
• featureless
• characterless
• beige
• faceless
• noncommittal
• dull

Examples of nondescript in a Sentence

I work in one of the nondescript office buildings downtown.

Their performance was disappointingly nondescript.

Recent Examples on the Web

Two decades later, and with audience affection for The Office as enduring as ever, Daniels has once again built an all-new mockumentary-style workplace comedy around an nondescript office, this time in the form of The Paper — a new Peacock series about a Midwestern newsroom fighting for survival. —Andy Meek, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025

Today, there’s a cross painted high on the front of Partakers of Christ’s nondescript cinder-block facade. —Theoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 28 Aug. 2025

Kamara had a nondescript preseason and missed some time while in concussion protocol. —Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 26 Aug. 2025

At dawn on Saturdays, we would be driven in a convoy of minibuses from a soothingly nondescript hotel in Bristol to Harptree Court, a classical Georgian-era country home, on the grounds of which the tent had been put up. —Ruby Tandoh, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

non- + Latin descriptus, past participle of describere to describe

First Known Use

1789, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for nondescript

• eucalypt
• manuscript
• superscript
• chipped
• clipped
• crypt
• dipped
• dripped
• flipped
• gripped
• hipped
• lipped

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Kids Definition

nondescript

adjective

non·​de·​script ˌnän-di-ˈskript 

: belonging or appearing to belong to no particular class or kind : not easily described

nondescript noun