as in only
being the one or ones of a class with no other members
among history's greats Leonardo da Vinci is often considered sui generis—a man of such stupendous genius that the world may never see his like again
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Recent Examples of sui generis
The same thing can be said about the narrowcast programming on public-access television, which, at its best, vibrated with sui generis excitement that predated and forecasted the early uncharted territory of the internet.
—
Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2026
The resulting footage was only discovered by the Cinémathèque in 2023; now edited together into a cohesive work, this invaluable and sui generis artifact finds one master filmmaker engaging with and taking in thewisdom, riddles, and pronouncements of another.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 20 Jan. 2026
The sui generis nature of Japanese culture, practices and lifestyle continue to be a font of inspiration for directors in the region.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 6 Nov. 2025
His photography is truly rare—sui generis.
—Literary Hub, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sui generis
Vikram Murthi, IndieWire, 24 Jan. 2026
The resulting footage was only discovered by the Cinémathèque in 2023; now edited together into a cohesive work, this invaluable and sui generis artifact finds one master filmmaker engaging with and taking in thewisdom, riddles, and pronouncements of another.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 20 Jan. 2026
The sui generis nature of Japanese culture, practices and lifestyle continue to be a font of inspiration for directors in the region.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 6 Nov. 2025
His photography is truly rare—sui generis.
—Literary Hub, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sui generis
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sui generis
Adjective
-
Cleveland is the only team favored to close out its series while Detroit and Houston are favored to force Game 7s.—
Dan Santaromita,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
-
From Nasser to Khomeini, the region’s revolutionary ideologies have delivered only ruin.—
Danielle Pletka,
Washington Post,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
Drinkwater didn't make one appearance in a Chelsea shirt last season, whilst Bakayoko spent the season in Italy on loan at AC Milan.—
SI.com,
SI.com,
3 Aug. 2019
-
Decisions made by engineers today, in other words, will determine not how one car drives but how all cars drive.—
Johannes Himmelreich,
BostonGlobe.com,
30 Mar. 2018
Adjective
-
King is the lone remaining healthy starter among the three that were expected to anchor the rotation.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Poorna Jagannathan, whose turn as the formidable crime-boss auntie Lucky has been a fan favorite, will be the lone supporting comedy actress submission.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Fifty years in one organization is really special.—
Gabriel Burns,
AJC.com,
26 Apr. 2026
-
His elite pass protection and calm feet mean he can be trusted immediately to keep the quarterback clean on passing downs, while also providing a high-effort presence on special teams.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sui generis.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sui%20generis. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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