unoriginal

adjective

un·​orig·​i·​nal ˌən-ə-ˈrj-jə-nᵊl 

-ˈrij-nəl

: lacking originality : not original

an unoriginal idea

a movie with a highly unoriginal plot

an unoriginal thinker

Synonyms of unoriginal

• imitative
• formulaic
• imitation

Examples of unoriginal in a Sentence

critics faulted the novel for having a painfully unoriginal plot

Recent Examples on the Web

Summary Leaders are increasingly sounding generic, often using similar buzzwords, a trend exacerbated by AI's ability to generate competent but unoriginal communication. — Cheryl Robinson, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026

No moral panic is more unoriginal than the fear that contemporary men are no longer as manly as the heroes who preceded them. — Elizabeth Dray, STAT, 21 July 2026

Because that was the trend this week, and next week the same unoriginal dopes will be onto something else. — Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 15 July 2026

The first stage began in July 2025, when Meta announced comprehensive measures targeting accounts that repeatedly share unoriginal content without meaningful enhancement, building on enforcement actions that had already been taken against 500,000 accounts in the first half of the year. — Aditya Jadhav, Interesting Engineering, 23 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1749, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for unoriginal

• aboriginal
• original