unoriginal

adjective

un·orig·i·nal | \ ˌən-ə-ˈrj-jə-nᵊl

How to pronounce unoriginal (audio)

, -ˈrij-nəl \

Definition of unoriginal

: lacking originality : not original an unoriginal idea a movie with a highly unoriginal plot an unoriginal thinker

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Examples of unoriginal in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Listen, saying Tom Hardy is a great actor is the most unoriginal take ever. — Megan Ditrolio, Marie Claire, "The 25 Most Underrated Films Ever Made," 12 Apr. 2021 But in an ironic twist for a strategy that some criticize as unoriginal, too many entrepreneurs fail to explore the full range of creative possibilities presented by the nostalgia trade. — John Hall, Forbes, "7 Ways To Creatively Repurpose Old Ideas For Entrepreneurial Success," 28 Feb. 2021 Its arrangement of stock civil-rights clips (slipping a mugshot of Detroit Red/Malcolm X into a Cointelpro montage) leads to unoriginal conclusions, in fact twisting facts to fit an obvious agenda. — Armond White, National Review, "With Drawn Arms Presents a BLM Puppet Show," 16 Dec. 2020 The latest is particularly unoriginal, with Keegan Allen starring as a popular vlogger who's taken to Moscow by his friends to produce an epic anniversary episode at a Russian escape room. — Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, "What to stream this weekend: Janelle Monae in 'Antebellum,' Netflix's 'The Devil All the Time'," 18 Sep. 2020 The idea behind their TwinsTheNewTrend channel is simple if unoriginal: Fans suggest a song the twins have never heard before. — Ellen Mcgirt, Fortune, "A pair of twin YouTubers offer a lesson in openness," 21 Aug. 2020 Though George Miller, the auteur behind the Mad Max series, used the freedom of animation to do all kinds of sweeping camerawork that would’ve been impossible in real life, the cutesy plotting was pat and unoriginal. — David Sims, The Atlantic, "30 Movies That Are Unlike Anything You’ve Seen Before," 23 May 2020 The film is directed and cowritten by Stephen Gaghan, and the character development is negligible, the jokes unoriginal; it’s lowest-common-denominator fare. — Los Angeles Times, "10 movies people are watching and talking about across the multiplatformverse," 15 Apr. 2020 The fat person/farm animal comparison is apparently one of the most hilarious jokes of all time and not at all unoriginal. — Marie Southard Ospina, refinery29.com, "Giving Up Makeup As A Fat Woman Taught Me Some Difficult Life Lessons," 25 Feb. 2020

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

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Last Updated

15 Apr 2021

Cite this Entry

“Unoriginal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unoriginal. Accessed 17 Apr. 2021.

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More Definitions for unoriginal

unoriginal

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of unoriginal

: not new or different : not able to think of or make new and creative things

See the full definition for unoriginal in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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