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noun

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective original differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of original are fresh, new, and novel. While all these words mean "having recently come into existence or use," original applies to what is the first of its kind to exist.

a man without one original idea

Where would fresh be a reasonable alternative to original?

In some situations, the words fresh and original are roughly equivalent. However, fresh applies to what has not lost its qualities of newness such as liveliness, energy, brightness.

a fresh start

When can new be used instead of original?

The words new and original can be used in similar contexts, but new may apply to what is freshly made and unused, what has not been known before, or what has not been experienced before.

new brick
new designs
starts the new job

When would novel be a good substitute for original?

The words novel and original are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, novel applies to what is not only new but strange or unprecedented.

a novel approach to the problem

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of original
Adjective
The original bell was replaced on the underwater ship with a replica, engraved with the 29 sailors' names on it. Doyle Rice, USA Today, 9 Nov. 2025 One of the original Florida state parks, opened to the public in 1935, the 13,000-acre expanse felt more like Georgia or North Carolina with its high plateaus, steep ravines, waterfalls, and seasonal foliage. Carrie Honaker, Travel + Leisure, 9 Nov. 2025
Noun
This streamlined chicken and dumplings recipe comes together in 40 minutes with only seven ingredients, but has the same rich and comforting taste as the original. Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 6 Nov. 2025 Film event, the 2019 original used a string quartet to capture the claustrophobia of a New England mansion. Fred Topel, Deadline, 6 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for original
Recent Examples of Synonyms for original
Adjective
  • An initial target of £2,000 had doubled by the time Scunthorpe confirmed on Thursday that he had been discharged from hospital.
    Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 8 Nov. 2025
  • The initial childhood of Victor Frankenstein lends itself more to that age of enlightenment.
    Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 8 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Brazil is set to introduce an ambitious and innovative new system for financing forest protection (more on that below) and Lula comes into COP30 with an impressive record of successful forest protection.
    Jeff Young, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Nov. 2025
  • The night celebrated innovative global environmental solutions.
    Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • The secret bar is one of several novel elements on the new ship that’s home-porting at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale this month in its inaugural sailing season.
    Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald, 11 Nov. 2025
  • One of the most novel concepts is the Williamsburg Bridge Marathon, which requires runners to traverse back and forth between Brooklyn and Manhattan.
    Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 11 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Previous Chinese efforts in deep-sea mining were primarily limited to theoretical studies and lab-scale prototypes.
    Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 7 Nov. 2025
  • The prototype — designed, like the Miura, by Gandini — first appeared at the 1971 Geneva Motor Show, an impossible doorstop of a spaceship with a roofline that barely came up to the waists of the go-go-boot-wearing models who posed alongside it.
    Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 6 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Phillips croons about a mother’s bond with her child as Swinton walks off, her character freshly wrecked by a visit with her son in prison.
    Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Most of your favorite characters, including Will, are returning, too — just not the same actors.
    Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • My first apartment on 15th and Union Square was a studio in a classy old building with marble pillars, one small room with a bigger bathroom and strangely an even bigger closet.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Nov. 2025
  • The purchase was the first investment by a Middle Eastern carrier in an East Asian airline.
    John Liu, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Rich Little Brokegirls founder Kimberly Bizu sat down with creator and corporate strategist Jodie Taylor, discussing what women of color navigating corporate spaces and creative careers need to know.
    Essence, Essence, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Anyone vaguely near the aesthetic gets christened it by fans, including Bassvictim, who were always funnier and more creative than the other modern electroclash revivalists.
    Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • The interdisciplinary approach brought the duke’s life and death to a stunning clarity — indicating how analyses can shed new light on age-old mysteries, even murders.
    Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 10 Nov. 2025
  • While earning a master's degree in exercise and coaching science at University College Dublin, she was introduced to CrossFit and discovered a new kind of challenge with its emphasis on versatility and constant adaptation.
    NWA Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Online, 10 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Original.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/original. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.

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