unoriginal

adjective

un·​orig·​i·​nal ˌən-ə-ˈrj-jə-nᵊl How to pronounce unoriginal (audio)
-ˈrij-nəl
Synonyms of unoriginalnext
: lacking originality : not original
an unoriginal idea
a movie with a highly unoriginal plot
an unoriginal thinker

Examples of unoriginal in a Sentence

critics faulted the novel for having a painfully unoriginal plot
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
This makes your home feel intentional and personal instead of sterile and unoriginal. Ashlyn Needham, The Spruce, 8 Jan. 2026 This seems a rather unoriginal name to be chosen by a woman whose talent lay with words. Literary Hub, 9 Dec. 2025 The rhetoric justifying their presence and exonerating their violence is loud and unoriginal, echoing the way Chicago has long been spoken about, when it is spoken about, as a war zone in need of saving from itself. Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2025 In sales, trust is currency, and nothing burns trust faster than sounding unoriginal, lazy or shady. Don Markland, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for unoriginal

Word History

First Known Use

1749, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of unoriginal was in 1749

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Unoriginal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unoriginal. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.

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