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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 sui generis
The Luftwaffe had already obliterated Warsaw and Rotterdam, but Paris was sui generis.
—
Sam Roberts, Foreign Affairs, 2 June 2015
This uncomfortable family scenario could have played out any number of ways, from broad comedy to volatile drama, but Hong puts his own sui generis stamp on it.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
The alchemical match between director and DP remains one of the defining collaborations of Lynch’s career, with Elmes crystallizing Lynch’s nightmarish and entirely sui generis vision of the American underbelly in all those films.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 18 Jan. 2025
There is a good case to be made, therefore, that each of these country-level crises is sui generis.
—Shantayanan Devarajan, Foreign Affairs, 4 Aug. 2022
See All Example Sentences for sui generis
Sam Roberts, Foreign Affairs, 2 June 2015
This uncomfortable family scenario could have played out any number of ways, from broad comedy to volatile drama, but Hong puts his own sui generis stamp on it.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
The alchemical match between director and DP remains one of the defining collaborations of Lynch’s career, with Elmes crystallizing Lynch’s nightmarish and entirely sui generis vision of the American underbelly in all those films.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 18 Jan. 2025
There is a good case to be made, therefore, that each of these country-level crises is sui generis.
—Shantayanan Devarajan, Foreign Affairs, 4 Aug. 2022
See All Example Sentences for sui generis
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sui generis
Adjective
-
How to watch 'Love Island USA' Season 7 New episodes come out on Peacock each night Thursday to Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET, meaning the only day without a new episode is Wednesday.—
Taylor Ardrey,
USA Today,
25 June 2025
-
For now, Denver, Broomfield, Pitkin and Weld counties are the only Colorado counties — out of 64 — with home-rule authority.—
John Aguilar,
Denver Post,
25 June 2025
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
-
The Changing Face Of Threats Modern attackers are not lone hackers in basements.—
Bhupendra Singh,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
-
Oregon State and Washington State had been the lone schools in the Pac-12 since 2024, after 10 schools defected to the Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC ahead of the 2024-25 academic year.—
Jason Clinkscales,
Sportico.com,
30 June 2025
Adjective
-
Protective and special coatings like anti-glare on TV screens and computer monitors can be worn down and damaged.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
26 June 2025
-
How nice to learn about artisan producers from South America, especially when the wine is this special; to my tastes, this is world-class quality.—
Tom Hyland,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2025
Adjective
-
Bo's Bird Dogs are actually chicken tenders dressed up like a dog, giving it a unique Carolina twist.—
Melissa Locker,
Southern Living,
24 June 2025
-
Who wouldn’t want content that’s relevant to their unique interests instead of a mess of irrelevant junk?—
Andrew Luttrell,
Time,
24 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sui generis.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sui%20generis. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share