originality

noun

orig·​i·​nal·​i·​ty ə-ˌri-jə-ˈna-lə-tē 

1

: the quality or state of being original

2

: freshness of aspect, design, or style

3

: the power of independent thought or constructive imagination

Synonyms of originality

• novelty
• freshness
• newness

Examples of originality in a Sentence

Critics have praised the movie's startling originality.

I was amazed by the originality of her ideas.

Recent Examples on the Web

The two musicians are so good at aping the sounds they were raised on that originality and reference become one and the same. — Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 22 Oct. 2026

And Hollywood still hasn’t truly invested in that kind of originality. — Emily Maskell, IndieWire, 22 Oct. 2026

As product creation becomes faster and potentially cheaper, von Tobel expects differentiation to depend increasingly on storytelling, craftsmanship and originality. — Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2026

Since its earliest days, the video game industry has been built on developers creating clones of competing games, with varying levels of originality and varying levels of enforcement from game platforms. — Kyle Orland, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1742, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for originality

• bisexuality
• collegiality
• conditionality
• congeniality
• conventionality
• conviviality
• dimensionality
• directionality
• emotionality
• essentiality
• eventuality
• grammaticality

Kids Definition

originality

noun

orig·​i·​nal·​i·​ty ə-ˌrij-ə-ˈnal-ət-ē 

1

: the quality or state of being original : freshness

the originality of an idea

2

: the power or ability to think, act, or do something in new ways : creativity

an artist of great originality

Legal Definition

originality

noun

orig·​i·​nal·​i·​ty

: the quality or fact of being the product of individual creation that warrants copyright protection for a particular work regardless of novelty