unimaginative

adjective

un·​imag·​i·​na·​tive
ˌən-ə-ˈmaj-nə-tiv;
-ˈma-jə-ˌnā-,
-nə- How to pronounce unimaginative (audio)
: having or showing a lack of imagination or originality : not imaginative
unimaginative people
an unimaginative menu
a predictable and unimaginative plot
unimaginatively adverb
… this is a simple, straightforward survey, competently if unimaginatively presented … Alan Knight
unimaginativeness noun

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web The program Kashtanova used is similarly unimaginative. Matt Ford, The New Republic, 3 Mar. 2023 This Valentine’s Day, skip the staid, unimaginative standards and instead get your wife, girlfriend, platonic pal or, heck, yourself a few gifts to drive all five senses wild. Katharine K. Zarrella And Lizzy Wholley, WSJ, 26 Jan. 2023 McKay pointed to receivers who were unimaginative with their routes and poor blocking but not Williams. Stephen Borelli, USA TODAY, 13 Feb. 2023 A lot of fantasy creatures are quite unimaginative, just two existing animals glued together—and some real animals are fairly unbelievable. Françoise Mouly, The New Yorker, 7 Dec. 2020 Chazelle turns that Golden Age elegy into a jinx. Babylon epitomizes contemporary cinema as the least creative moment in cultural history — so unimaginative that Chazelle disrespects his own characters. Armond White, National Review, 13 Jan. 2023 As unimaginative as his Victoria's Secret joke is, Tierney's lack of criticism toward this paper distresses me more. Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 23 Feb. 2011 Is Plane the most amusingly unimaginative movie title in recent memory, or just the most ingeniously direct? A.a. Dowd, Chron, 11 Jan. 2023 As a rule, unimaginative menus lead to sleepwalking cooks. Pete Wells, New York Times, 3 Jan. 2023 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'unimaginative.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

1814, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unimaginative was in 1814

Dictionary Entries Near unimaginative

Cite this Entry

“Unimaginative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unimaginative. Accessed 29 Mar. 2023.

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